Boston mayor knows better than cops?

[Ronin13]

Columbine? The police were out gunned by 9mm's and 12 gauges?

POS gun, but the Hi-Point Carbine they used to open fire on the first JCSO unit to arrive had a lot more range than the pistol the deputy was carrying. Even for a 9mm, it still is more accurate up to longer ranges than the average duty pistol.

Not outgunned with Columbine as far as I know, but North Hollywood and the Miami shootout of '86 are perfect examples of what Ronin is going for. The public should not be undergunned, but this is a perfect case of trying to take guns from the good guys in an attempt to keep them from bad guys, and we all know how well that went.

Oh I totally forgot about Miami '86... well said. Yes, I consider all good guys to consist of cops and law abiding citizens... if criminals want to break the law and have bigger guns, then in order for the average person to protect themselves they should be allowed to have "evil, military style rifles", because usually the police arrive to process the crime scene, not stop the crime.

[Mick-Boy]

I would have more sympathy if there wasn't a constant stream of high ranking LEOs (I know, I know "They don't represent most of the rank and file"..) on television using their badge as a pulpit to advocate the disarmament of the American Citizen.

The day Boston PD is advocating for the citizens on MA to have their second amendment rights restored is the day I'll care about the PD not getting the weapons they want.

[Milt]

A Modest Proposal for Fairness:

No government official or employee at any level should have weapons denied to the general public, nor should their salaries be one penny higher than the average after tax earnings of the tax paying public they 'serve'.

If the 'public servants' feel out-gunned by the 'bad guys', there is a simple remedy - quit denying the rights of the citizenry to the tools of self defense. If the 'public servants' have a hard time living on the same income as their constituents, they can get their idiotic regulations out of the way so that the market can operate to raise that average income.

[osok-308]

A Modest Proposal for Fairness:

No government official or employee at any level should have weapons denied to the general public, nor should their salaries be one penny higher than the average after tax earnings of the tax paying public they 'serve'.

If the 'public servants' feel out-gunned by the 'bad guys', there is a simple remedy - quit denying the rights of the citizenry to the tools of self defense.

I agree. Citizens should not be out-gunned. I'm just saying that taking them out of the hands of police doesn't mean that criminals aren't going to have them. Considering the rank and file officer supports citizens right to bear arms (from what I've heard from family members of mine who are cops) no politician should be making laws arms. Or make a law that holds the politicians are responsible for the deaths of those who were under-gunned should a shootout arise.

[Milt]

Of course, criminals will get whatever weapons they 'need'. The problem is that far too many cops' behavior has become indistinguishable from that of the free lance criminals and thugs - and, the 'good cops' are failing to police their own ranks.

If the institution we call 'the police' can be at all compatible with the American ideal of ordered Liberty, cops must strictly honor their oaths and become true Peace Officers instead of law enforcement officers. They absolutely MUST place their duty to protect the Rights and Liberty of the public above their loyalty to the 'thin blue line'/us-versus-them mentality that facilitates the continuing trend toward cops becoming mere tools of unlawful government power. Anyone who swears an oath and then essentially ignores it is completely devoid of honor and worthy only of the contempt of honest, decent people. Like the rest of us, cops need to remember that honor and integrity can only be gained or lost by their own efforts - no one else can deprive you of your honor or integrity and no one else can give you either of those precious gifts.

I have heard much talk of 'wolves, sheep and sheep dogs'; the police and military are supposed to be the sheep dogs. Today they increasingly resemble the wolf and it is time for that to stop...

[hatidua]

They absolutely MUST place their duty to protect the Rights and Liberty of the public above their loyalty to the 'thin blue line'/us-versus-them mentality

I'd recommend you focus on more realistic scenarios:

-World Peace
-Locating the Loch Ness Monster
-Sharply in-focus photo of Big Foot

[Milt]

"I'd recommend you focus on more realistic scenarios:

-World Peace
-Locating the Loch Ness Monster
-Sharply in-focus photo of Big Foot"

Unfortunately, you are probably correct - the police seem to be functioning as the standing army (of occupation) so loathed by the Founders. "To Protect and Serve" somehow doesn't seem to require MRAPs and massive surveillance; to subjugate and tyrannize would seem to be the real mission, here. As the sheepdogs complete the process of morphing into wolves, it will be time to go hunting...