Let play “forum poster” and insult an entire industry by our rather obtuse views of the ability of another class of people which we have no real understanding. I’ll make the claim that anyone that commented on this thread and made some inane comment as to the ability of a “campus cop” is an idiot and doesn’t know what they are talking about. I’m sure you all will take exception to that.
I’d like to think that as gun owners, we’d be a bit more open to the ability of others to function well in both this society and in their chosen occupation. Such is obviously not the case.
I served 22 years in the military, both in the Marines and the Army. I can say that based on that experience, we did have the incompetent in both services. I reckon the numbers were low, probably somewhere in the 5 to 10% range.
I worked for a major aircraft manufacturer for 6 years. I saw the same basic problem there. Again, I noted the same amount of incompetence there. I was so amazed by that fact that there was a widely used military helicopter that I had severe reservations flying on. I dreaded having to climb on one for an insertion mission because I always flashed back to the things I saw on the floor of the plant where they were made.
Fast forward to a short time I worked in retail followed by a short period as a school teacher. People I wouldn’t let change a light bulb in my house existed in, and continued to work in, both fields.
I now work at a university. I’m at the point where I look upon any student as a knucklehead. They are so out-of-touch with the real world, I am starting to think they are all idiots. I know that that is not the case. I know that the idiots number in the 5 to 10 percentile. But, I have to tell you, I get jaded from time-to-time.
Incompetence can sometimes be legion in any occupation. There will always be incompetent people. As with many subscribers on forums, I’m sure I have the same attitude about a lot of professions. But, I strive not to paint all in any occupation with a general brush. I realize we will always find a few incompetent people in any given field who are incapable of functioning well. But, I try to preface any comments I make about any group of people in a given profession by saying there are bad people in the group. I don’t paint the entire profession as bad [except politicians- I don’t think any of them serve us well, regardless of party affiliation]. There will always be a square peg who is trying to fit in a round hole.
This thread is a perfect example. Check the following quotes:
Loop- I'm familiar with UAPD. Giving those yokels rifles is nuts. The only reason they are working at UA is they can't get jobs with real PDs.
I call bull do-do. You have no clue as to the professionalism or the ability of the officers on that campus unless you have worked and trained with them (if you have, I apologize for calling you out, but I think your statement lacks substance). You may believe certified officers take jobs on campuses because they can’t function elsewhere. The fact of the matter is, the majority of us police officers that work at universities do so because we have weighed the advantages of working in that field versus the advantage of working in a municipal PD. Face it; unless you are in the LEO field, you have no real experience making that comment. I know an officer at that campus. He is a very professional officer. That you would paint him with your broad brush stroke lessens you as a person, not the officers in the department.
Prince Yamato- Why can't the campus cops use handguns? It's one freakin' shooter. You won't bet at a distance greater than 50 feet in most scenarios. On top of that, there's only four guns on the entire campus... STUPID.
Any advantage the good guys have is a plus. Maybe you would rather be evenly matched should you go up against a homicidal person; I personally would like an edge. I think of the gun fight rules I often see posted here. Let’s see. People frequently post the following:
- Bring a gun. Preferably, bring at least two guns. Bring all of your friends who have guns. Bring their friends who have guns.
- Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movement are preferred.)
- If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a long gun and a friend with a long gun.
Those have a reasonable and realistic reason; they are quoted time and time again. They work and they make sense.
Rob87- Seriously, what difference is that going to make? What a gigantic waste of money to buy new equipment for officers who won't be on time to stop an armed aggressor in the first place.
Probably a true statement. Another one of the more astute comments I have seen in this thread. The average active shooter incident occurs in the 6 to 15 minute range. Rob is right voicing the fact that the police may not be in position to stop such an incident in time. But, if my kid was attending that institution, I’d be much happier knowing they had the tools available that they could use to stop a shooter if they could get there fast enough.
GEM summed it up:
If the fight does go on for a longer time than the typical suicide - I personally want the law to have the most efficacious weaponry.
The issue of civilian carry is really not relevant to this.
How many of you that argue for civilian carry are highly trained with your handgun of choice? Most of the civilian population is not. So, you shouldn't carry by some of the logic here.
Another astute comment to the thread.
Navy joe gave another very good comment.
Dasmi- But at least the Campus cops get to look really cool with their new rifles.
That one I actually LOL’ed about. You did make me laugh. I remember all of the times in the military when we fought to get the new improved stuff. It’s “Gucci” cool. Then we found out the item they spent thousands of dollars developing actually sucked. We went back to the old one. Today, in any given profession, lot of us are “Gucci” warriors. That applies to cops, military personnel, and most civilians in any given field when it comes to using the newest and best equipment. We do like the fancy stuff. After about six months of using it, we do find the old stuff was better suited to the job.
But in the case of the rifles, I think the cops are better suited to deal with an active shooter with rifles.
