I have too recently written this article before…just after the Sikh Temple murders and the Aurora theater massacre.
But in the wake of the Brookfield Spa shootings, I have to do it again because the usual suspects again ran out their litany if IF ONLY. If only state legislatures didn’t permit property owners to restrict arms on their property. If only that venue hadn’t posted a no arms sign at the door. If only some concealed carry self styled citizen hero had been on site.
And in the wake of those shootings we have another example of why Wisconsin can’t be allowed to devolve into the wild west and why none of us is Dirty Harry! Just two days after the spa murders, almost right down the street, another domestic abuse incident lead to a shoot out …fortunately this time no one was injured. Here’s a clip from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Waukesha police exchanged gunfire Tuesday with a 76-year-old man in a tense exchange resulting from a domestic violence complaint.
Police received the call about domestic violence …, Chief Russell Jack said.
Five minutes later, officers arrived at the scene and met with a 75-year-old woman inside the unit. At that point, the man appeared, aimed a long rifle at officers and fired, Jack said.
Officers returned fire, left the unit with the woman and called for assistance. Neither the man nor officers were struck by the gunfire, Jack said.
Once again we have veteran police officers with hours of weapons training and in the heat of a violent situation at very close quarters…MISSED their target.
Quoting myself now:
So, we are supposed to believe that self styled citizen heroes, with their concealed carry permits earned in a one hour class that doesn’t even require that a handgun is fired, if faced with a similar situation…can channel their inner John Wayne and reach a better result?
Not a damn chance in hell!
Which reminds me of the August shooting at the Empire State Building in New York, quoting from the Huffington post:
“NEW YORK — All nine people injured during a dramatic confrontation between police and a gunman outside the Empire State Building were wounded by gunfire from the two officers, police said Saturday, citing ballistics evidence.
The veteran patrolmen who opened fire on the suit-clad gunman, Jeffrey Johnson, had only an instant to react when he whirled around and pointed a .45-caliber pistol at them as they approached him from behind on a busy sidewalk.
Officer Craig Matthews shot seven times, and Officer Robert Sinishtaj fired nine times, police said. Neither had ever fired their weapons before on a patrol.
The volley of gunfire felled Johnson in just a few seconds and left nine other people bleeding on the sidewalk.”
Leaving aside the penchant for New York police to empty their magazines when shooting, these were trained professionals opening fire on an armed suspect and even they couldh’t help wounding nine innocent bystanders. It’s sickening to imagine what an untrained wannabe vigilante would accomplish in the same situation with a 30 shot clip. Even worse, in many states if you are shot accidentally by one of these morons while they are “standing their ground”, the law prevents you from filing suit, although presumably you could shoot them in self defense.
thanks Gareth…that incident inspired by earlier post: While Visions of John Wayne Dance in their Heads