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Accomplished Advocate
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Don't assume that a cop is stupid or ignorant because he gives you misinformation. A lot of cops see that as part of their job. The technical legal term for that kind of behavior is, "dust in the eyes." The theory is that if you believe the hogwash they tell you, or at least will be uncertain about it, it may modify your behavior. And there are some among the law enforcement community who see themselves as responsible not only for detecting crimes and apprehending criminals, but social control, generally.
Most of the ones I've encountered who engage in that kind of behavior don't believe me when I tell them that they can be held civilly liable for legal malpractice. But you don't have to be a lawyer to be liable for malpractice if you lie to someone about his legal rights and he acts on that misinformation to his detriment. And cops don't enjoy civil immunity.
With respect to firearms, there are also those in the law enforcement community who feel that everyone who is not in his own home and lawfully minding his own business is a potential "target of investigation". So they regard an armed citizen as a potential threat to themselves, and they want to minimize that threat as much as possible. They do not make a distinction in their minds between law abiding, socially responsible, armed citizens and criminals, and they're afraid.
Don't assume that a cop is stupid or ignorant because he gives you misinformation. A lot of cops see that as part of their job. The technical legal term for that kind of behavior is, "dust in the eyes." The theory is that if you believe the hogwash they tell you, or at least will be uncertain about it, it may modify your behavior. And there are some among the law enforcement community who see themselves as responsible not only for detecting crimes and apprehending criminals, but social control, generally.
Most of the ones I've encountered who engage in that kind of behavior don't believe me when I tell them that they can be held civilly liable for legal malpractice. But you don't have to be a lawyer to be liable for malpractice if you lie to someone about his legal rights and he acts on that misinformation to his detriment. And cops don't enjoy civil immunity.
With respect to firearms, there are also those in the law enforcement community who feel that everyone who is not in his own home and lawfully minding his own business is a potential "target of investigation". So they regard an armed citizen as a potential threat to themselves, and they want to minimize that threat as much as possible. They do not make a distinction in their minds between law abiding, socially responsible, armed citizens and criminals, and they're afraid.