[eweissenbach]

Originally Posted by hope2soon

as someone who had a father, uncle, and brother as police officers I can only speak to the experience of being around them. All of them knew the potential dangers of guns. My father drew his only once in his entire career. Most police officers hope to never have to draw their guns because they know the potential.


Whether you're on the side of it being justified or not, the truth is Trevon Martin would be alive today if George Zimmerman wasn't carrying a gun, if only because he wouldn't have felt brave enough to confront someone he thought was a burglar. In another shooting in our county, a neighbor was upset a child was skateboarding in a common area and came out to tell him to leave (with a gun). A parent with his young daughter stood up for the skateboarder and the result was the parent was shot and killed in front of his daughter....over a neighborhood disagreement. Again, if he had not brought the gun to the fight, no one would have been shot.

Believe me, police officers don't want all these "wannabees" having guns. Police have to have them. These other people seem to be just hoping for the day they can whip them out and be the hero like in all the action movies. Life isn't like that. You can't shoot with the accuracy portrayed in movies and on TV. The Fort Hood shooter exchanged shots with a trained armed police officer and despite her getting off several shots, he still continued. Just because someone owns a gun and practices at a firing range does not automatically give them the experience to handle an armed shooter.

To me what's frightening is the lack of respect people have for the danger guns pose. They get their concealed license permits, do a little target shooting, and think they can handle whatever comes along....except in a split second decision, it could very well be the wrong thing....just ask George Zimmerman, and the man from my county now sentenced to years in jail for manslaughter.

Well stated hope2. Every police officer I know or have heard from supports stringent gun control. But then who knows, maybe they are planning on taking over the country by force. (last sentence - satire)