luckyykid
Regular Member
I just wanted to put it out there that the media is perpetuating what I believe is a myth regarding the general police position/opinion on gun control.
For those here who don't know, I'm a cop in a high crime city in CT, and I deal with gun violence on a pretty regular basis. I for one do not support any further gun legislation, and while I can't speak for all officers, I can tell you that most cops that I have spoken with on this issue stand against new legislation just as much as the members here do. Meanwhile, Obama addresses gun control against a backdrop of police officers giving the impression that we are all anti-gun, and that could not be further from the truth. While I'm sure that there are some officers who are liberal minded and anti-gun, I'm convinced that is nowhere near the majority opinion.
There are several police chief associations who are speaking out in favor of gun control and passing it off as majority opinion. The thing is, police chiefs are nothing less than politicians themselves and do not represent the "rank and file" opinion. You'll notice that in the media, there are many sheriffs who have come out in opposition to gun control, but they are a different breed than the mayor-appointed chiefs.
The following are a few articles I found from various police publications opposing gun control. I believe this is the majority opinion among police.
http://www.officer.com/blog/10858047/mass-attacks-gun-control
http://www.policemag.com/channel/weapons/articles/2012/12/close-your-eyes.aspx
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/312483/gun-control-and-police-robert-verbruggen
And for those who have asked a cop they just came across whether or not they would follow an order to go door-to-door and confiscate guns, I would not expect that they would give you an honest answer. I know I wouldn't tell a total stranger that I would disobey a direct order from the command staff, even if that's exactly what I would do.
So to summarize, don't beat up on the cops too much, because most of us are on your side on this issue.
For those here who don't know, I'm a cop in a high crime city in CT, and I deal with gun violence on a pretty regular basis. I for one do not support any further gun legislation, and while I can't speak for all officers, I can tell you that most cops that I have spoken with on this issue stand against new legislation just as much as the members here do. Meanwhile, Obama addresses gun control against a backdrop of police officers giving the impression that we are all anti-gun, and that could not be further from the truth. While I'm sure that there are some officers who are liberal minded and anti-gun, I'm convinced that is nowhere near the majority opinion.
There are several police chief associations who are speaking out in favor of gun control and passing it off as majority opinion. The thing is, police chiefs are nothing less than politicians themselves and do not represent the "rank and file" opinion. You'll notice that in the media, there are many sheriffs who have come out in opposition to gun control, but they are a different breed than the mayor-appointed chiefs.
The following are a few articles I found from various police publications opposing gun control. I believe this is the majority opinion among police.
http://www.officer.com/blog/10858047/mass-attacks-gun-control
http://www.policemag.com/channel/weapons/articles/2012/12/close-your-eyes.aspx
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/312483/gun-control-and-police-robert-verbruggen
And for those who have asked a cop they just came across whether or not they would follow an order to go door-to-door and confiscate guns, I would not expect that they would give you an honest answer. I know I wouldn't tell a total stranger that I would disobey a direct order from the command staff, even if that's exactly what I would do.
So to summarize, don't beat up on the cops too much, because most of us are on your side on this issue.