More gun laws means more powers for police

[bluestateguy]

Is now really the right time to be giving more powers to police?

With ever more gun laws you are giving police the powers to implement, interpret and take proactive measures to enforce the laws.

More vague "weapons charges" upon citizens.

Do you really think that the new gun laws you propose will be implemented by police in ways that are fair, race-neutral and class-neutral?

The Baltimore PD was all too happy to arrest Freddy Gray for having a switchblade (later deemed to be legal).

I'm all for enforcing existing laws on the books, and I'm not against a stronger background check law (although who decides who is mentally ill and DQ'd from owning a gun?), but be careful about advocating for a parade of new laws, rules, regulations and procedures.

Remember that the police will get the discretionary authority to enforce your new laws.

Think about that.

[Live and Learn]

1. Unless, they apply to law enforcement as well.

Europe has done quite well without having the majority of their law enforcement officers armed. We, on the otherhand, are giving them tanks and hand grenades.

[Shandris]

9. Yes, I remember their stunning victory at Calais. <n/t>

[elleng]

2. 'the powers to implement, interpret and take proactive measures to enforce the laws'

That's their job now. It's the job of local electorates to see to it that they do it PROPERLY.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

7. "It's the job of local electorates to see to it that they do it PROPERLY."

So, once every 4 years we get to vote for a mayor that will hopefully be elected and hopefully work to rein-in the police whom we already know to be abusive and are occupying our streets 24/7.

[world wide wally]

3. It all sucks, but I have yet to hear of a "good" citizen shooting a "bad" cop and getting off.

[Recursion]

4. Google "killed executing a no-knock warrant"

It's one of the more dangerous things cops do, and it's very hard to prosecute the killer afterwards.

[Tom Kitten]

5. so do less gun laws mean less powers to the police?

Maybe if everybody open carries there would be no reason for the police, eh?

[Nuclear Unicorn]

6. Stop and frisk is a gun control law that gives the police pretext to

accost minorities.

[beevul]

10. Less pot laws certainly work that way in CO and elsewhere. N/T

[Raine1967]

8. ironically the federal courts making guns laws less restrictive in DC has shown somehow that we have

a jump in homicide rates at about (above) 40% this year — so far, compared to last year.

[Eleanors38]

13. Do you have data on how many lawful gun owners there are in D.C.? Thanks.

[Raine1967]

17. I am sure you can research that.

My point is what it is.

[Eleanors38]

18. Since you can't: 40k lawful owners. -0- concealed carry...

Out of 640,000 population (a fraction of national average), and while D.C. continues to stand in the school house door, defending its Jim (large, raucous black bird) laws on CC.

In other words, your crime increase is still on D.C.'s pre-Heller tab. But you knew that.

[Spider Jerusalem]

11. I think you're lost, "Anarchist Underground" is over there somewhere (n/t)

[moondust]

12. Seems to work pretty well in U.K. and Australia. n/t

[Lee-Lee]

14. Every law empowers some sort of enforcement authority

Unless it's some unenforceable thing like the U.S. Flag Code that has no enforcement mechanism.

If you want a law, you want it to work. Laws don't work unless backed up with enforcement by those empowered with authority to use force to ensure that they are followed. That may be done the long road after other means- but it has to be there.

So if you want any law to stay or be created, then you have to, by default, be willing to empower people to use force to ensure compliance unless you don't want it to work.

[Eleanors38]

15. In the end, LEOs are not charged with protecting you...

They are charged with gathering evidence of crime, pursuing and arresting suspects, and turning over evidence to a prosecuting attorney.

They are NOT charged with protecting you because in virtually all instances of a crime they CANNOT. They aren't there in time.

I'll leave it to DUers to figure out the best ways to protect ones self and loved ones.

[Crunchy Frog]

16. More guns in society means more police with hairtrigger gun fingers.

When everyone you encounter might be carrying a gun, you end up simply assuming that they all do, and acting accordingly. I believe this is one (out of MANY) reasons for the police being out of control in this country.

JMHO.