With this writing though, I'll stick with the "personal
security" aspect of gun ownership. While not a "retired" Law
Enforcement Officer (LEO), I do have over 13 years street experience in that
field (plus many more years in the private sector), and use those experiences
to formulate my own opinions on the subject of personal defense and firearms.
If we, each of us at home, in our cars, or at work, present
an easy target of robbery or assault, then it is luck, or a matter of time,
that we haven't been victimized. Bad guys, whether consciously or not,
calculate their personal risk against any perceived gain in the engagement of a
criminal act. If any of us present a low risk to the bad guy, then our own risk
increases. If we present a high risk to the bad guy, one that will most likely
get them arrested, or seriously hurt, then they will move on to a less risky
target. They’re human, and won’t typically walk into a dangerous situation
where they don’t have an upper hand.
I believe that by permitting citizens to have
"Concealed Carry Licenses", we send a message to the would-be
bad-guys. That is, anyone they may consider targeting, may be armed and
prepared to defend themselves with deadly force. When states have openly
supported such a lawful and licensed "carry" law, the statistics show
a decrease in personal crimes.
One only needs to do an on-line search, and any number of
stats will either prove out, or argue against the effects of such
"carry" laws. But I can’t think of any LEOs who wouldn’t
"carry" if they weren't Cops anymore. Most LEOs I know, would never
leave home without a handgun for personal protection, even if they stopped
being Cops. Speaking only for myself, I don't recall an "armed"
citizen that I encountered who was successfully victimized. But I encountered a
lot of "victims", who had been ill prepared for what came upon them.
The fact is, the only stat that really means anything anyway, is your own!
As an ex-Cop, I don't go anywhere without a handgun on or
near me. Am I fearful? No. But I've seen enough people who were unable to
adequately defend themselves, and don't choose to be one of them. It’s a matter
of being prepared, for the unexpected. As a case-in-point, we recently saw the
news footage from London of two Muslim men who had attacked an off-duty British
Soldier, hacking him up with a knife and meat clever, nearly beheading him. The
only thing the on-looking London citizens could do, was watch! (20 minutes
later .... 20 minutes later .... the London Police showed up and shot both
suspects, "wounding" them.)
As our 2nd Amendment provides, I have the "right to bear
arms", and I choose to do so wherever it’s legal. NO ONE should be able to
take MY right away, effectively disarming me at a time I may need to protect my
family or myself.
Oh ... Magazine capacity - Who the hell knows how many
rounds anyone will need at any given time? NO ONE knows. Cops don't know
either, and that's why most of them carry a handgun with an average 15 rounds
in the pistol, plus another two mags in their pouches (45 rounds total!). Even
then, there have been "Officer Involved" shootings, where magazines
had been expended by multiple officers, and the suspect still lived! It's just
stupid for anyone to think just 6 or 7 or 10 rounds should be enough for a
citizen to have. It sure isn't for a trained professional Police Officer! And a
citizen will not have a back-up officer at their side or coming to their aid.
