Thoughts? http://www.infowars.com/?p=2006 I am a FL resident. It's a tough call. Funny thing is that having an AR-15 doesn't necessarily mean shit. Many cops, etc simply don't have the self-control and presence of mind to handle one like a real operator under stress anyway. Spend time in the military and you'll see it for yourself. I have seen some insanely bizarre/hilarious shit with firearms. I am sure anyone else who has served knows exactly what I am talking about. Just stupid shit people do. People assume that having a weapon means you will effective at wielding it....Life is not a movie.....you get some crazy cop out there who doesn't know what he's doing and he could spray a crowd like it ain't shit, totally on accident. There are plenty of good cops out there. They are demonized the same way that many troops are these days. Unfortunately, the bad ones stand out far more than the good ones and give a bad rep for all involved. At the same time, they seem to be being used more and more as tools of the establishment and not as protectors of the people. So not talking shit about cops in general...it is the concept of the US becoming a police state that is concerning me. On one hand, it is good to have well equipped police officers in the same manner it is good to have well equipped troops in warfare. Same concept. On the other, when you are equipping a force under the control of corrupt leadership with vastly superior firepower in large numbers....bad shit can happen. Majorly UNCONSTITUTIONAL shit can happen. Just wondering what anyone thought about this. Any FL residents care to comment? Or anyone for that matter. Shit keeps getting more and more spooky every day it seems.
I'm a libertarian, and I am just as torn as you are. One one hand, I would never want to deny law enforcement, the majority of whom are outstanding people, the ability to defend themselves adequately against well-armed criminals (the Bank of America robbery in Hollywood springs to mind). On the other hand, this brings law enforcement closer to the designs of a unit of our armed forces, more appropriately structured to protect us against foreign threats, not the civilian populace, which is one thing our founding fathers never wanted. It's a tough call.
This just in: criminals in FL have been using assault rifles for a very long time. God forbid you enable law enforcement to try and protect the public by arming them correctly.
The way I see this is: cops are under serious constraints to use or fire their guns. They are taken off the street if they fire their weapon, risk lawsuits, jail or job. Savvy criminals know cops won't shoot, so what's the point of having a gun? Psychological. Cops have this tiny gun strapped in a holster among flashlight baton and misc equipment, the authoritarian effect is lost. Lets give the cops a big visible rifle, they still can't use it but it has a psychological threat/deterrent. Those swat guys do look menacing. -------------------------- Is this leading to a police state atmosphere? "Additionally, Dershowitz looks at many ways in which civil liberties can be safely curtailed without losing "the feeling of freedom." The "reality" of freedom is an entirely different ballgame,..." "Why Terrorism Works" by Dershowitz. Interesting read regarding this situation.
The cops in DC have AR's now too, and I think some of them are barely qualified to drive a car let alone handle a rifle. I don't know about the rest of you but the idea of cops and criminals having shootouts with high velocity rifle rounds in a dense urban area doesn't exactly make me feel 'safe'.
Ak, Exactly. What other explanation is there? I don't know. The old days, one robber one cop. Now, we have one robber, 15 cops show up at the scene, prolly a helicopter and tank too. Survelliance on every corner to stop no one, maybe catch a bad guy or two after the fact, in the meantime we are fucked. I didn't vote for this shit, the younger generation doesn't care (they are growing up knowing no other way, esp since 911). The best days are behind us.