Fast & Furious Media Coverage? **crickets**

People believe cops are anti-gun because cops are charged with carrying out law enforcement, even on anti-gun laws. I used to tell people in my social gun circles that if a law were passed violating their gun rights I would be obligated to carry out enforcement of that law. That made me very unpopular but I would argue with them that the responsibility for them losing their rights was not mine (the cop) but theirs (the voters) and if they were not part of the NRA or like organizations then they were simply part of the problem. Society gets the police they deserve.

Anyhow back to the anti-gun cop thing, I was involved in a group called the LEAA or Law Enforcement Alliance of America which lobbied strongly for the Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act and was generally very, very pro-gun rights. I don’t mind telling you the International Association of Chiefs of Police had very different views than us and the FOP. I think the IACP however sets the tone on law enforcement’s perceived attitude towards gun ownership in the U.S. sadly and the FOP is often prevented from taking a substantial public position in the debate…but I wish they would.

 

Here in MA we have wide discretion in the enforcement of the law, with the only laws mandating arrest being violation of a protective order, and some obscure voting laws. I freely apply my discretion, taking into account the person's attitude, their intentions as I see them, and other intangibles.

For example, we have several categories of gun permits, with "Class A - Large Capacity" being top of the heap, which allows you to carry a concealed handgun with a magazine capacity of 10+ rounds. One night I saw a guy who was quite obviously carrying a concealed handgun inside a convenience store. It turned out he was a security guard coming home from work, and instead of carrying in the open as only allowed by his Class B permit, he changed in the locker room and was carrying his revolver concealed.

I applied my criteria (attitude, intent, etc.) and decided to just unload the revolver, lock his handcuffs through the open cylinder/topstrap so it couldn't be loaded until he got home, and sent him on his way. I'm not going to have someone lose their job and ruin their life for a momentary lapse in judgment about a minor procedural issue.

Agreed.....I belong to both the NRA and GOAL (Gun Owner's Action League....state version of the NRA);

Gun Owners' Action League - GOAL.org - "Protecting Your Freedom Begins Here"