I'm a young LEO, in my twenties educated in the liberal public school system and liberal colleges. I'm attending my 3rd college now...working towards a Masters hopefully. Anyway here is how I became pro CCW.
When in high school and during the first year of college I was fairly anti-gun. My Dad was pro-gun, pro-NRA former cop with 14 years of LEO work in. I of course rebelled against the ideals of my father as most young men do.
One fine day I was walking along with my girlfriend and another friend in my Sophmore year of High School when a guy that had been in a fight with my brother saw me and though he was me. He then proceeded to follow us in his car yelling obscenities (at this point I had never met this guy and couldn't figure out what the heck he was doing) so we walk away across a field where he cannot follow us...finally he says somthing that crossed the line, I can't remember what, but I turned around to walk back and school him....well, he had a Ruger P series pointed right at us yelling stuff like "what now bitch?". Since we were about 50 yards away I turned back around and we cut through the field quick as possible away from the guy...........to make a long story short....it was the first time I ever wished I had a weapon, but I still remained fairly anti-gun.
Second time I was outside of a night club here in Dallas when a white Caddy drove up and and began shooting with a shotgun at a Red Neon full of hispanics with handguns. I grabbed two people and charged into the club with the crowd completely running over the door guy. We all ducked inside waiting for the gunfight to stop hoping nobody would come in the club. While ducked behind the wall in the club, I remember wishing there was a guard, cop or gun nearby.
In BOTH incidents, the cops never responded. In the first incident, I was accused of lying about the incident. Annoying.
So I had my Dad's old .357 Magnum and carried that with me BEFORE conceal and carry laws in Texas. I just left it in my truck. It actually saved my hide once (another story).
Finally Texas passes a Conceal and carry law but by the time I had the money and time I was already a LEO, but I got it anyway to be double righteous.
The moral of the story:
1.) The cops (myself included) are not there to protect you, we are to protect society. The difference is, if you commit a crime, ideally we will CATCH the person who done it, not necassarily STOP them from doing it except that they are scared that they will be CAUGHT. Cops are to be reactive, not proactive. Proactive is when rights get violated. Cops are a deterant through certainty of punishment.
2.) The bad guys have guns, knives, clubs or some other nefarious weapon to use against a weaker victim. FACT: bad guys stack the odds in their favor when commiting a crime (or try to). If they were TRUE risk takers, they would be small businessmen or investors, not thieves, thugs and muggers.
3.) Concealment Laws with proper training promote an educated society regarding arms, crime and the law. Which is always a plus. Responsible gun ownership is a beautiful thing.
4.) Deterance, gun owners deter crime more so than cops do. We are bound by the Bill of Rights, Judicial Oversight, Rugulations and Procedures. Cops are predictable in behavior to criminals, I'll admit it. We are ALWAYS willing to accept a surrender. Private gun owners are not nearly as predictable and uncertainty is scary to people who don't like taking risks.
5.) When only bad guys are armed, then bad guys get to do whatever they want. Police can't be everywhere at once. Heck, we can't even be in most places at once. The police to population ratio is usually staggering in most cities.
6.) Background checks, it is a reasonable risk to say that an individual who has not had a Class A misdomeanor or above in the first 21 years of life, likely won't commit one now.
Now for some suggestions and concerns I have:
1.) CHL holders who think they are the police. I have personally seen a guy wearing a CHL BADGE on his belt like a police badge. Seeing no gun in plain sight and no radio, I became curious...why would anyone single themselves out to be a victim like that? CHL holders do not have the same training, liability or responsibilities of a LEO. Just a cold hard fact. Some people take it upon themselves to go to a first rate facility such as Thunder Ranch and recieve BETTER gun handling training than cops get, but do they know how to perform a hostage negotiation? How about field first aid? How about legal knowledge to know when to intervine and when to just observe? Can they call for backup? This is not to downplay the capabilities and intelligence of the average joe, I believe that most of this applies for off duty cops as well. If you cannot call for backup and you are not the man of steel, don't be the dummy with a badge in plain view and don't get in a situation that you may escalate or become a victim in.
2.) CHL holders who refuse to cooperate with the police during a traffic stop or Terry Frisk because they have a "right to have a gun". A license does not automatically make it cool for you to tell a cop "no" when they ask you to surrender your weapon for the duration of a traffic stop or field interview. This is primarily a safety concern for the cop and sometimes is required by procedures. When people become ucooperative it is frustrating and makes one very nervous. You have a man or woman you know to be armed, who is resisting efforts to secure a weapon. Just do it, even if you don't like it, we're not gonna cap you. Nobody is above the law.
3.) Behave yourselves. People who get involved in fights or domestics with a gun on their hip make a routine situation very delicate.
4.) Gunshop commandos.........If half the stuff some people brag about in gun shops is true, then we live in the wild west. People need to realize that handguns kill and mame. A handgun wound is ugly, painful and permenant, psycologically if not physically. Shooting human beings is not funny, cool or heroic. It sometimes becomes a tragic necessity but it is a thing that will change your life and rarely for the better. Deadly force should be the LAST resort to save your life. I believe that people who use deadly force to save property pay more than they are willing to. More than the property is worth. Not that I think it should be illegal or that you should just lay down and be a victim, just keep in mind the cost involved in shooting someone. It doesn't just hurt you, or the person you shot, both people's families will likely suffer either financially or with the loss of a father, son, mother, etc. OR you may just handicap them for the rest of their lives......a stolen C.D. out of a car is not worth all that. However if you confront them and they TRY to hurt you, that's different. In Texas you are authorized to use deadly force to RECOVER property, which I disagree with.
Okay, I'll shut up now.
