Apocalypse-Now said:
i'm not jumping to conclusions about the officer's actions without the whole, verified story.
Actually, that's not true at all. You absolutely did:
Apocalypse-Now said:
i'm not a LE officer myself, but this is clearly not a case of abuse of power.
ok, then if it isn't, the officer's behavior would make absolutely no sense-unless we're not getting the whole story here.
Actually, it does fit into a pattern, not far outside of the norm. Many officers don't see that many concealed carry permits -- they tend to have few opportunities to interact with folks carrying lawful concealed weapons as those folks tend to be far more law-abiding than the average. (Ironically, also far more law-abiding than the average
for cops! ...but that's a different thread.) Just as we often read of officers giving bad or unlawful advice regarding permits and carrying of weapons, we see where they themselves can get mixed up in a mistake because they simply don't know these laws well.
If this was a drug bust or a theft or assault, the average cop would be pretty familiar with the pertinent statutes -- because they deal with those matters daily. They don't deal with concealed carriers daily and often have no clear understanding of the laws involved. It just doesn't come up.
So, while there are some officers who WILLFULLY step on the rights of CCW folks because they're out to express their displeasure that others (beside them-self) may go armed or to establish "dominance," there's no need to ascribe to malice what is very easily explained by ignorance.
Look, my own county here in gun-loving PA issues (or did, anyway) a guide to carrying when someone first gets their LCTF. And, that document -- given out by the Sheriff's office -- contains mistakes and overstatements which do not match PA law. Sad, but true. Maybe some of it is willful -- the sheriff may indeed WISH folks would obey his idea of what the law should be -- but most of it is simple ignorance.
yeah, he'll win a big suit against that cop.
You know, a lot of suits or motions filed against law enforcement officers and/or agencies simply seek an official statement of policy change, and/or the department taking steps to educate their officers in the correct application of a law. It isn't always about winning a million dollar lawsuit.
the lady at walmart was rude to me the other day and hurt my feelings. i should sue too. hilarious.
Now that's an absurd straw-man argument and you should be embarrassed to have made it.