The Cop Revolt Against Gun Control

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http://www.richardpoe.com/column.cgi?story=130

The Cop Revolt Against Gun Control

By Richard Poe

October 23, 2003

AN ALL-OUT REVOLT against gun control may be brewing among rank-and-file police officers.

In my last column, "Gray Davis’ Cop-Killing Gun Law," I revealed that anti-gun zealots such as Sarah Brady and Ted Kennedy have found a new enemy: cops. No longer content to disarm ordinary citizens, gun prohibitionists now want to strip off-duty and retired police of the right to keep and bear arms.

Reader reaction to my column was mixed. Virtually every correspondent favored gun rights, but many expressed disdain for the rights of police.

"Maybe when their CCW [Concealed Carry Weapon] rights are stripped away they will look more favorably on ALL of us being allowed to carry," grumped one reader on the FreeRepublic.com message board. "Police officers should not get special rights."

"Hear Hear! Screw the cops… let them see how it feels!" responded another.

" find it hard to feel too sorry for the cops," opined a third reader by e-mail. "…Let them taste some of what we supposedly free Americans have been dealing with. If I can't carry across state lines or into a government building, why the hell should a cop be able to?"

The resentment these readers express is understandable. Police spokesmen often publicly applaud gun crackdowns. But police brass in big cities are not free to speak their minds. They get their marching orders from City Hall. If they want to keep their jobs, they must toe the party line. Often that means pretending to support gun control, when in fact they oppose it.

During a 1990 crime wave in New York City, an ex-cop named Stephen D’Andrilli suggested on a TV talk show that the city issue one million permits to carry handguns. Host Dick Oliver asked then-New York Governor Mario Cuomo to respond. Cuomo snapped, "Why don’t you ask the cops what they think of everybody packing guns?"

Oliver replied that a Mr. Byrne, then head of the Police Benevolent Association, had said of D’Andrilli’s plan, "It’s a good idea."

"Well, somebody better talk to Mr. Byrne, straighten him out," said the governor.

Many high-ranking police have been "straightened out" behind the scenes just as Governor Cuomo prescribed.

"The Clinton Administration was particularly successful at enlisting police support for gun control," notes the Web site of the Law Enforcement Alliance of America (LEAA) a national anti-crime organization of law enforcement professionals, crime victims and concerned citizens, based in Falls Church, VA.

"[The Clinton White House] funneled millions of your tax dollars in political payoffs, disguised as `research’ into the pockets of national law enforcement organizations…," states an online article published by the LEAA. "…In one year during the Clinton Administration, the Police Executive Research Forum, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Sheriffs Association and the Police Foundation collectively hauled in $4.4 million in Justice Department grants. …[P]olice groups that scurried to do Clinton's bidding happen to be the same ones that were awarded the lucrative federal grants."

The same LEAA article notes that many police officers were literally ordered to support the Brady Bill and the 1994 "Assault Weapons" Ban. "In some outrageous cases, police officers who actually opposed the legislation were forced by their superiors to appear in staged photographs as if they were solidly behind gun control!" charges the LEAA.

Despite all the payoffs and political arm-twisting, when the National Association of Chiefs of Police conducted a mail survey of 15,000 sheriffs and police chiefs in 1996, 93 percent said they approved of law-abiding citizens arming themselves for self-defense.

More and more pro-gun cops are working at the grassroots level in support of citizen gun rights.

Shortly after the 9-11 attacks, Sheriff John Raichl of Clatsop County, Oregon proposed recruiting armed citizens to guard docks, bridges, reservoirs, power stations, gas lines and other potential terrorist targets. Governor John Kitzhaber shot down Raichl’s plan.

Kennesaw, Georgia and Virgin, Utah passed laws requiring every household to own at least one gun. "Hundreds of towns and cities are passing or considering similar ordinances," claims VirginUtah.com, a Web site which promotes the town’s unusual gun laws.

Meanwhile, Sarah Brady and Ted Kennedy continue antagonizing police by opposing Senate bill 253 – a law that would permit active and retired cops to carry concealed weapons anywhere in the USA, without restriction.

Gun-ban activists have made a fatal error by targeting police. They have laid the groundwork for a grassroots alliance of gun owners and lawmen – a coalition that could well tip the scales in favor of our beleaguered Second Amendment.
 
Police spokesmen often publicly applaud gun crackdowns. But police brass in big cities are not free to speak their minds. They get their marching orders from City Hall. If they want to keep their jobs, they must toe the party line. Often that means pretending to support gun control, when in fact they oppose it.
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Resign!

Though not a cop, I too am a public servant sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution. If I am ever ordered to violate that oath, I will refuse and, if necessary, resign. There are always other jobs.

~G. Fink
 
The article is right on the mark. A lot of police administrators receive their marching orders from the politcians and have to spew party live to preserve their jobs. The majority of rank and file are believers in the Second Amendment (of course, there's always a few ignorant minority that believe as politicians). There was a sergeant who got pressured out of San Jose PD when he spoke out against then Chief McNamara (since retired and in some think-tank). Said sergeant went on to be a major player in the LEAA.
 
Resign!
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And what would this accomplish for a true pro-RKBA LEO? They will be replaced by someone who instead of trying to work behind the scenes to change policy will be an enthusiastic anti-gun supporter. Better to work within the system and strike at the opportune moment.
 
And what would this accomplish for a true pro-RKBA LEO? They will be replaced by someone who instead of trying to work behind the scenes to change policy will be an enthusiastic anti-gun supporter. Better to work within the system and strike at the opportune moment.
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I have mixed feelings about that. While it makes some sense to have people in the system who believe in the Constitution and support us, those people would be responsible for violating the Constitution on a near-daily basis until the time is right.
 
Looks like another group has finally seen the real agenda with the liberal ban-all-guns crowd! Makes a difference 'whose ox is being gored' doesn't it!
 
I love the objectivity of that article. the cops I know are all for gun control and they're all conservatives. They don't want the guns on the street. maybe rural cops feel differently.

I'm not familiar with Bill 253 but why should retired and active duty police get special treatment. We should all be able to get unrestricted nationwide permits.
 
Cops

One thing to keep in mind is that cops are people too. They run the gambit from enthusiast to gun hater. I suspect they are absolutly no different than the population, one end for gun control, one end for gun freedom, and the majority stuck in the middle undecided. Peoples actions/conduct (statements) will decide which way the middle people go, up or down, just like the general public. The Mouth Peices for departments are not representative of cops in general.
 
anti-gun zealots such as Sarah Brady and Ted Kennedy have found a new enemy: cops. No longer content to disarm ordinary citizens, gun prohibitionists now want to strip off-duty and retired police of the right to keep and bear arms.
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Boy was that ever political suicide.:evil:

I hate to see the average cop on the street getting put in a political cross fire, but on the other hand something like this could go a long way to discredit anti-gun groups and show that their agendas have nothing to do with safety and security.

One of the major "feel good" points the antis had was that police were behind them. If they go after off-duty police officers carrying, they will lose a lot of credibility and we will gain powerfull allies.

The liberals drove a railroad spike between citizens and police in the late 60s then attacked each separately. It's time to start mending some of that distrust. We need to stop griping about special priviliges and start standing together against common enemies.
 
However, the anti-RKBA folks aren’t taking anything away from cops. They are opposed to granting them (or anyone else) additional carry privileges.

~G. Fink
 
"In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."
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The American translation "What goes around comes around". I think it applies here.
Resign!
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There is more to being a cop than supporting RKBA laws. I'm sure there were some officers who felt strongly enough about the issue to resign. But if every cop or civil servant resigned because of one issue or another, such as abortion, religious or drug laws, we would have nobody in public service.
 
I'm with semf and Rock Jock. I'd rather see them stay on the beat. Laws are only as strong as the initial enforment. Most justice is handed out by the beat cop not the courts. It's their initial choice as to charge someone. If you have a pro self-defence cop on the beat who catches someone with a CCW protecting themselves they're much more likely to "convieniently forget" it was concealled and that person will never have to see a day in court.

This was an excellent article which I'm going to pass around to every fence-sitter I can find.
 
However, the anti-RKBA folks aren’t taking anything away from cops. They are opposed to granting them (or anyone else) additional carry privileges.
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Mr. Fink, with all due respect, you've been living under the totalitarian Kali regime too long. The right to carry arms and defend one's self are inalienable rights, not privileges. The gun grabbers have long been infringing the rights of citizens, and now they are infringing the rights of the citizens who work as peace officers.
 
There was thread just a week or two ago that mirrored the points in the article above.
A cop started a thread asking us to support federal CCW for off duty and retired cops, and the response was almost entirely negative!

Cops are citizens too, and when they stop thinking in terms of "us" and "everyone else" they will be great allies. The average gun owner has no patience with "special rights" for cops.

Keith
 
DMK, I agree with you, but telling that to the cop who arrests me for “illegally†carrying a firearm probably won’t help very much. :(

~G. Fink
 
And the guys writing the laws have made owning and carrying firearms into a privilege in most states.

For those criticizing my suggestion to resign, please note that I qualified it with an “if necessary.†A “pro-RKBA†cop, administrator, or lawmaker who enforces and perpetuates gun control is still enforcing and perpetuating gun control. This is called collaboration with the enemy.

~G. Fink
 
What our brethren in blue need is an escape clause, similiar to the "don't obey an illegal order" escape clause that our military guys have.

Examples:

Insane commander: "Kill all those obviously unarmed peasants harvesting their fields, and sow the fields with salt!"

Lowliest private: "No, sir, I refuse sir, your order is illegal sir."



Insane Politician: "Remove that man speaking against my sensible gun law stance from his soapbox, search him, and if he has a sidearm, confiscate it and book him!"

Policeman: "Sir, I refuse. Your order violates the first, second, and fourth amendments"
 
Resign!

Though not a cop, I too am a public servant sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution. If I am ever ordered to violate that oath, I will refuse and, if necessary, resign. There are always other jobs.
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Only a good idea if you don't go quietly. Hold a press conference, tell everyone about the sleazy pressure brought on you. And then dare the pukes to fire you.

Make waves. Shine the light on the cockroaches. Don't let them pull this off quietly.
 
Never been a peace officer, but it seems most PO's have quite a bit of lattitude, at least while the boss ain't watching.
Working a job which requires judgement calls every day and being responsible and in some cases liable for their decision would make most people very wary, I would think.
 
What our brethren in blue need is an escape clause, similiar to the "don't obey an illegal order" escape clause that our military guys have.
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That sounds all utiopian and stuff, but in reality it is the job of all citizens to fight unconstitutional, unethical and immoral laws. Unfortunately, few do their job.

We are supposed to do this in the ways outlined by the creators of our constitution: Vote for representiatives that agree with your views, communicate your views to your elected officials, lobby and/or support orgs that will lobby your views (ie. NRA, GOA, JFPO, etc), organized peaceful protest and failing all that resort to the most expensive and risky method, civil disobedience.

We just can't rely on nice police officers to look the other way when we break laws that aren't appropriate. A) They don't all agree with us and B) why should they risk their careers when many Americans are too darn complacent to do their own civic duty?

We always talk about self sufficiency and taking care of ourselves here, but yet want some cop to stick his neck on the line to protect us from bad gun laws.
 
Where I live, we are fortunate in having the vast majority of both "street" officers and administrators as strong supporters of civilian CCW.

The best part is that there are those among them who've demonstrated the strength of their convictions by working long hours of their own time to put together a working program to make first-rate professional training locally available to qualified civilians.

In the past year Basic, Intermediate and Advanced programs from Yavapai and Gunsite have been held at our county's LEA range. They were advertised in the local newspaper(s) and offered to any and all civilians who could produce the prerequisite documentation of a valid Personal Protection handgun permit (and certificates of previous training, where applicable) on a "first come, first served" basis.

While the number of spaces is limited, and it's not inexpensive, it is HERE and a whole lot more practical and affordable than a round-trip to Arizona plus food, transportation and lodging for three days to a week for us working stiffs.

The officers who make these possible volunteer their own time and services as ROs and Adjunct Instructors. They are not compensated by their agencies, nor excused from their regular duties in order to do so.

What if, instead of taking positive action on their principles in the face of organized political and bureaucratic opposition to demonstrate their truth and validity, they'd simply resigned?

To my mind, men who demonstrate this level of commitment and resolve in the defense of one of their principles can be counted upon to defend their others with equal tenacity. For some, "To Serve and Protect" isn't a motto, it's a way of living.
 
Most of us meet gun friendly cops as we tend to live in a gun friendly social environment or area. I am convinced that big city cops are not that gun friendly. Those are the ones that dominate the discussion.

I will opine that it is fairly racist. They work in cities with lots of minorities who use guns for crime. They cannot conceive of citizens defending themselves. The law abiding urban citizen is probably not gun savy and a "sheeple." Certainly, when I live in a large urban area, guns were rare.

I also think that most LEOS in such environments regard any guns as a threat. It is the urban departments that do the talking. The officers are not really civil liberatrians in any sense.

I also don't buy that the cop supports gun rights but won't say anything. They won't vote out their union rep. etc. Cops are certainly vocal and picket and march, etc. when one of them is charged with brutality charge or they want a raise. They are not vocal on RKBA as it isn't really important to them.

ProRKBA cops were pro RKBA people first.

For your information:

Police chiefs: Retain assault-weapons ban

Posted 10/23/2003 from Philly.com printer friendly version

"The chiefs, who also included Harold Hurtt of Phoenix, Richard Pennington of Atlanta, and Alex Fagan of San Francisco, spoke in front of a table laden with examples of assault weapons, including 'street sweepers,' 12-gauge shotguns with large-drum clips that can spray 12 shots as fast as the trigger can be pulled.

'The idea that anybody in this country that would advocate allowing these types of weapons onto the streets of America is insanity,' Bratton said. As recently as Saturday night, he said, two of his officers on a prowler call were assaulted by a weapon 'very similar to what you see in front of you.' [Editor's note: I guess he didn't realize that the Street Sweeper is classified as a DD, and is still legal to own with the proper paperwork--it's not even classed as an 'assault weapon'.]
Richard Aborn, former president of Handgun Control Inc., opened the program and introduced the speakers. While speaking at the end of the presentation, Aborn caused some in the audience, including police officers, to stare wide-eyed at him as he pointed - with his finger on the trigger - a semiautomatic pistol fitted with a large clip around the room.

'I assume these weapons have been checked?' he asked a Philadelphia police captain. He was told they had been.

When later asked by a reporter about his actions, he apologized.

'I recognize that I should not have pointed that gun toward anyone because it does violate gun safety,' Aborn said. 'And the moment I realized I'd done it, I stopped, pointed the gun up to the ceiling, and said to everybody in the room I shouldn't have done it."

You can read the complete story at:
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/7079405.htm
 
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