| | | quote | Originally posted by Purple86GT:
And had the police been allowed to cary guns they could of defended themselves and stopped this guy before he could even think of shooting someone.. Oh wait.. they do carry guns... I guess even carrying a gun does not always keep you safe. |
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I can't speak for Canadian law enforcement, but if they have the kind of rules in place that police officers do here in the States, then those cops may not have had the opportunity to shoot back.
My dad was a reserve sheriff's deputy for the county a number of years ago. One mother's day afternoon, gunfire erupted from the house across the street. Long story short - two drug crazed relatives broke into the resident's home and were discovered when the residents of that home returned (who were also their relatives) and gunfire erupted between them. My dad (off duty at the time) responded with his weapon and announced who he was to them and gave instructions for everyone to get on the ground. One of the perps got into his car, and while exiting thru the yard, shot at my dad. My dad could not return fire for a number of reasons...
1) Beyond the perp was the bedroom of a neighbor's house which could have been occupied. If my dad fired and missed the perp, the bullet could have went into that bedroom.
2) The perp was driving a moving car. If he was struck, the car could have gone out of control and hit some kids playing down the street and my dad would have been liable.
Now I don't know the details of the shooting of the 3 cops in question of the topic of this thread, but it is very possible they could have been faced with the same situation and perhaps they could not return fire.
Any responsible gun owner knows you can't take back a bullet fired from a gun. Any responsible gun owner knows that you must be aware of your target and what is beyond it as well as the consequences of taking another life.
A properly trained police officer also has to be aware of these rules and adhere to them. Sadly, these rules may cost the life of the good guy wielding a gun but I would rather pay that price than unintentionally kill an innocent person.
My prayers are with the families of these fallen public servants.
