bryang wrote:I had to laugh at what the chief of police said...uote:
Police Chief Chad Wagner, a task force member, said the neighborhood has the right to arm itself, but he's concerned about creating a dangerous situation.
I wounder what he thinks they have now??
This assessment may not be giving the chief, who according to the initial article is a strong second amendment supporter, a fair play here.
As the guy who's responsible for managing initial response to every emergency in that community, I suspect that he's concerned about the potential activities of a small number of armchair commandos who foam at the mouth telling all who'll listen just what they'll do if a bad guy dares to tangle with them. Every community has them, even the places that aren't under active criminal assault.
The scariest ones don't make any effort to understand the law and their responsibilities and could use the valid self reliance / neighborhood responsibility aspect of the program to rationalize what is really just their own itching for an excuse to shoot someone and become heroes in their own minds. When ignorance and fantasy collide with reality in an incident, the results are seldom pretty.
No chief looks forward to managing the investigation of a Joe Horn case, or worse, a mistaken identity or good guy on good guy shooting. Incidents like this are a nightmare for anyone concerned about justice, and they should also be a concern to anyone involved with championing responsible behavior under the right to bear arms.
Will irresponsible use of deadly force become a significant problem there,or will the fear turn out to be like the "blood running in the streets" predictions that gun banners run up the flagpole every time a right to carry or castle doctrine issue comes up?
My bet would be if there is irresponsible conduct on the part of citizens, it will be only occasional and in very small numbers because this is generally what happens just about everywhere else. I also suspect that the crime rate there will plummet after a couple of incidents that are successfully managed by armed citizens. Word gets around quick, and bad guys aren't in business for the sporting challenge of it. Remember when Kennesaw, GA passed a law requiring every homeowner to maintain a firearm? The burglary rate dropped to ZERO. The bad guys in this Florida town aren't looking to turn formerly easy pickings into a high stakes survival game just to hold onto the turf. They're adaptable and they'll be looking for safer hunting grounds in a hurry.
Only time will tell for sure if the chief's concern is warranted or not, but I'd be the last to criticize him for looking ahead and considering it.
