4 ms·

> disarm them all by default That would be a mistake.

by mygo 7y ago

bsanr2 7y ago
I disagree.
- mygo 7y ago
  Can I get a reason why not? I’ll start. I think it would be a mistake because if you have LEO who are disarmed, then criminals may be emboldened and LEO wouldn’t be able to defend themselves in the situations where they need to do so. We can’t both be advocating for better police training, police with all psychology degrees as a minimum, and then also saying we wouldn’t trust them to be armed.
  - madhadron 7y ago
    The USA is very unusual in the developed world in having armed police. In Germany, for example, the officers on the streets do not carry firearms. What they do have is riot squads a couple minutes away if force is actually necessary. > then criminals may be emboldened and LEO wouldn’t be able to defend themselves in the situations where they need to do so I hear arguments like this in the USA a lot, but it doesn't seem to be a major issue in the rest of the world. I suspect it's another talking point that assumes certain conditions as universal that are very unusual and strange.
    - german12345 7y ago
      BS. Of course german cops carry guns on the street. IIRC, Walther P99 and/or HK P2000. In times of heightened threat level, the police cars carry HK MP5s in the trunk from what I heard from cop friends. However, and that's the difference here, none of them EVER shot a weapon outside of training/shooting ranges. You don't even lose a bullet, because you have to file a report for every one that's missing from your arsenal. I've heard several german cops state that they're sure they're done with being a police officer if they would ever have to shoot someone.
    - f1refly 7y ago
      Like the other guy said, of course policemen in germany carry weapons. Not sure where you picked up they don't. They're even clearly visible, carried openly on the belt.
  - jacobush 7y ago
    The incentives are wrong in the US. If you can face life in prison for petty crime, you might as well take a cop down while you’re at it.
  - bsanr2 7y ago
    I think the LEO argument for requiring firearms for safety is weaker than the public's interest in encouraging the social and strategic/tactical training police need to get to a point of operating functionally, which, to me, would necessarily involve a reduction in the necessity for carrying, drawing, and firing a service weapon. They may not like what they'd have to do in lieu of just shooting an alleged suspect, but that's different from it being less effective.

> disarm them all by default That would be a mistake.

by mygo 7y ago

> disarm them all by default That would be a mistake.

bsanr2 7y ago

I disagree.

mygo 7y ago
Can I get a reason why not? I’ll start. I think it would be a mistake because if you have LEO who are disarmed, then criminals may be emboldened and LEO wouldn’t be able to defend themselves in the situations where they need to do so. We can’t both be advocating for better police training, police with all psychology degrees as a minimum, and then also saying we wouldn’t trust them to be armed.
- madhadron 7y ago
  The USA is very unusual in the developed world in having armed police. In Germany, for example, the officers on the streets do not carry firearms. What they do have is riot squads a couple minutes away if force is actually necessary. > then criminals may be emboldened and LEO wouldn’t be able to defend themselves in the situations where they need to do so I hear arguments like this in the USA a lot, but it doesn't seem to be a major issue in the rest of the world. I suspect it's another talking point that assumes certain conditions as universal that are very unusual and strange.
  - german12345 7y ago
    BS. Of course german cops carry guns on the street. IIRC, Walther P99 and/or HK P2000. In times of heightened threat level, the police cars carry HK MP5s in the trunk from what I heard from cop friends. However, and that's the difference here, none of them EVER shot a weapon outside of training/shooting ranges. You don't even lose a bullet, because you have to file a report for every one that's missing from your arsenal. I've heard several german cops state that they're sure they're done with being a police officer if they would ever have to shoot someone.
  - f1refly 7y ago
    Like the other guy said, of course policemen in germany carry weapons. Not sure where you picked up they don't. They're even clearly visible, carried openly on the belt.
- jacobush 7y ago
  The incentives are wrong in the US. If you can face life in prison for petty crime, you might as well take a cop down while you’re at it.
- bsanr2 7y ago
  I think the LEO argument for requiring firearms for safety is weaker than the public's interest in encouraging the social and strategic/tactical training police need to get to a point of operating functionally, which, to me, would necessarily involve a reduction in the necessity for carrying, drawing, and firing a service weapon. They may not like what they'd have to do in lieu of just shooting an alleged suspect, but that's different from it being less effective.