Squeaky - See all 12 of my articles
4 Comments

Guns kill people. What an ignorant statement. Search the blogs and left news sites and you’ll find an endless number of morons spouting off that statement. Have we become a county of senseless sissies? I think not. There is just a small number of morons out there, but they are unfortunately a loud, obnoxious and never ending stream of gibberish.

I am a former police officer that served in Lincoln, NE a University city of roughly 250,000. I have spent the majority of my life handling and shooting weapons (handguns, rifles and shotguns). I am an NRA member, a concealed weapon carrier and fully support our rights under the 2nd Amendment.

I have spent a lot of time this week thinking about the four police officers in Lakewood, WA that lost their lives. They were taking a break when Maurice Clemmons walked into the coffee shop they were at and ambushed them. I have wondered how differently things would have played out if there had been a citizen in the coffee shop that was in possession of a weapon. Maurice’s ambush was concentrated on the officers which would have easily allowed someone in another part of the business to end the situation immediately. Had the person acted quickly enough, at least one of those police officers may have survived.

I spent a short time living in Illinois where the left wing crowd in Chicago has been able to block any legislation that would allow their citizens to carry concealed weapons. Wisconsin is the only other state in our Union that has not passed any CCW laws. I continue to ask myself why. Why would anyone want to prevent their citizens from legally carrying a weapon when statistics show that it reduces violent crime and saves lives? Do people really think that guns kill people? Do we only want the Maurice Clemmons out there carrying concealed? Remember, it isn’t the felons and criminals taking the time and spending the money to jump through the legal hoops needed to gain a CCW permit. It’s the law abiding citizens that have families to protect, the former law enforcement officers that can make a difference, military personnel and people that have grown up with guns. Why not have a trained and willing pocket of citizens that can help end violent encounters quickly?

Remember, when seconds count the police are just minutes away. I can lend a lot of credibility to that statement. When we filed reports on any incidents, we documented the time that calls came to dispatch, the time the call was given to us (the officer) and when we arrived on location. Folks, don’t be naive; it literally takes minutes to get police officers to your home or business. Here is the process: The call comes in to someone answering the 991 line. That person has to type in the details of the call, document the issue, the location, the caller’s name and prioritize the call. They then send that to a dispatcher that looks to see which officers are available. The dispatcher then calls the officers and they need time to respond. Do you really believe that the officer is just a minute away from your home or place of business? Think of congested traffic, people not noticing those flashing lights or hearing the siren. Think of poor weather conditions slowing traffic. What about when the officers are all on other calls and dispatch is urgently trying to get someone to clear their call? Worse yet, what if the dispatcher has to pull an officer from the other side of the city? These situations are reality.

It’s well documented that states passing CCW laws have reduced murder rates by 8.5%, rapes by 5%, aggravated assaults by 7% and robbery by 3%. Doesn’t that sound like an incentive to you? Don’t you want a safer place to live and work? It only takes a moment to think about the V-Tech shooting, Maurice Clemmons shooting, Fort Hood, etc. There are so many examples where an individual carrying could have ended a bad situation and saved lives. So ask yourself, why do the liberal politicians in our country hate guns so much? Why do they continually say that guns kill people? It isn’t guns that kill people, it’s bad people using guns (or knives, vehicles, etc) that kill people. Do they now want to ban butcher knives, vehicles, ice picks, axes, mallets and ropes for “killing people”?

All states should have CCW laws and reciprocity with other states. Gun Free Zones are just death traps and safe havens for criminals. Don’t you want a chance to survive? Remember that phrase, “When seconds count, the police are just minutes away.” The criminals are going to carry concealed regardless of the law.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Squeaky …

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Comments

4 Responses to “When Seconds Count, The Police are Just Minutes Away”

1. boats for sale au
   December 4th, 2009 @ 1:19 am

   There is two aspects of weapon first one you can kill anybody second you can save anybody. Now it’s depend on us that how we use it. Nice post officer.
   Total Comment by boats for sale au: 1

2. Gene German
   December 4th, 2009 @ 8:28 am

   I would like to clarify that citizens may carry a gun for personal protection in Wisconsin.

   137 years ago, the Wisconsin legislature enacted Wis. Stat. 941.23 which was intended to force people to openly carry their weapons.

   Only concealed carry is prohibited today (except for LEO’s).
   Total Comment by Gene German: 1

3. Squeaky
   December 4th, 2009 @ 12:31 pm

   Thank you for the comments Boats for sale…yes, guns can be used however a person wants. The unfortunate thing is that the law abiding citizens will follow the law if says don’t CCW…the rest will do whatever they want.

   Hopefully our politicians will stop punishing the everyday Joe’s for what the criminals do and create laws protecting our rights to bear arms in all states.
   Total Comments by Squeaky: 75

4. Squeaky
   December 4th, 2009 @ 12:37 pm

   Great point Gene!

   Most states don’t have laws against carrying openly—if any do I haven’t heard that. However, have you ever tried to carry openly? It leads to a additional set of problems. I remember when I was a new officer there was a man walking on a downtown street with a rifle. There were numerous 911 calls. When I approached the man, I learned he was only taking his weapon to pawn. Over reaction? Possibly, either way it’s reality in our society today. Carrying openly is an option, but is it a good one?

   I’m fortunate, under the Law Enforcement Officer’s Safety Act of 2004 (Thank you George W) I am able to carry concealed from border to border regardless of state law. However, I choose to stand up for individual rights to bear arms which are limited by each state’s laws. I hope you’ll join me.

   In the mean time, please be careful if you choose to openly carry.
   Total Comments by Squeaky: 75

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