Matt Lauer brought an issue to the "panel of experts" yesterday regarding a PSA from Sheriff David Clarke encouraging citizens to take a certified safety course to learn how to use firearms to defend themselves until the police can get there. You can hear the entire PSA in this news report I found on YouTube here:
Here is a transcript:
"I'm Sheriff David Clarke, and I want to talk to you about something personal...your safety. It's no longer a spectator sport; I need you in the game, but are you ready? With officers laid-off and furloughed, simply calling 9-1-1 and waiting is no longer your best option.
You can beg for mercy from a violent criminal, hide under the bed, or you can fight back; but are you prepared? Consider taking a certified safety course in handling a firearm so you can defend yourself until we get there. You have a duty to protect yourself and your family. We're partners now. Can I count on you?"
Public outcry has varied from support to outrage. Where do you stand on this particular issue?
It's Feedback Friday...
What is your impression of the PSA from Sheriff David Clarke?
Considering we have a gun (in a safe) under our bed, my hubby has a concealed weapons permit, I've taken gun safety courses.... I'd have to agree with him. My friends uncle was just murdered in a mall bathroom after he was robbed of his wallet in TX... what if he had been armed? What if the principle had been armed at the school that day? What could have happen at the church in Aurora, Colorado if my husbands cousin Jeanne had not been armed? We can speculate all we want but I think our society is at a point where we need to protect ourselves. I live in the country and am not going to wait 15 minutes for the police to get to my house if someone breaks in. That being said, I do think that EXTENSIVE training and background/mental health checks need to be enforced.
ReplyDeleteIf we outlaw guns, the only ones who will have guns are the criminals. I don't like the thought of having to buy a gun and maybe use it on an intruder, but I don't think that right should be taken away from law abiding citizens. Guns don't murder innocent lives, evil people do that and you can never get rid of them.
ReplyDeleteamen Lori
ReplyDeleteI don't disagree with the PSA. (I'm a Texan)
ReplyDeleteHowever it seems like an odd subject for a PSA. I wonder if this is being used as a publicity stunt to combat shrinking police budgets.
Hmmm, that is a good question. You could be right.
DeleteI´m german, so maybe it´s different in my country. Though I strongly assume that people are pretty much the same wherever you go - there are strong ones and weak ones, friendly ones and agressive ones. And the less guns are around when people get agressive, the better. A human life is something you can never, ever retrieve, even if it´s the life of a criminal.
ReplyDeleteI once got into a situation in Poland when I was staing in a little hut alone with my very young kids, and a guy came in at night and attempted to rape me.
I got rid of him by shouting and cursing and kicking. If I - or one of the neighbours who then came when they heard me - would have had a gun in that situation, that guy might have been killed that night. I don´t know what happened to him afterwards, and I don´t care, but I like it a lot better to think he´s alive, because I strongly believe in human rights - for everyone.
I do not know one single person who owns a gun. I didn´t even see - or hear - a real gun in my whole life. But I don´t feel scared, on the contrary, I feel very, very safe. I stay at home without my husband, I cycle home through dark woods late at night from girl´s night, and I invite a variety of interesting people to my home.
And I don´t agree it will be only the criminals who own the guns - sure, the organized professionals might get their hands on guns, but if firearms are really strongly restricted, your average street mugger or burglar (who doesn´t automatically want to harm you, but just get at your property) will much more likely come with just a knife. Which causes much less damage.
I would really feel very unsafe if I knew that every freaking body would have access to guns at any point of his or hers varying moods. And I wouldn´t want my kids to be out in such a world.
Helen, I feel that you're so right. I live in the USA and in an urban city, but I choose to not worry about needing to protect myself with a gun. It seems to me sad way to live. I personally would not have what it takes to shoot a gun with the intention to kill. I enjoy shooting target, and am semi accurate. I would not be able to shoot another human, but I'm not above using anything else to protect myself and my family if it's needed. I agree that the feeling of aggression is intensifying in this country. When in a sporting goods store since the attack to the school children I felt very uncomfortable when near the section for firearms. The atmosphere there made me want to leave. Thank you for your point of view.
DeleteMy husband is a retired police detective, and he and I, for the most part, are on the same page when it comes to guns. (I say "for the most part" because I would be perfectly happy not owning a gun at all, but I believe that gun ownership, like abortion, should be one's own personal choice.) The gun laws our president is trying to get passed won't take away one's right to own a gun, but rather impose reasonable restrictions. I can't understand why any thinking person would object, yet I know they do, as is their right.
ReplyDeleteI think it's more reasonable to ask citizens to be aware of firearm safety or defensive maneuvers than ask them to protect themselves while they wait for the police to arrive.
ReplyDeleteI have shot a pistol and a rifle on a range for target practice. I feel more comfortable knowing that I have handled a weapon before. Perhaps it would be enough to help protect me or my family in a dire emergency.
I believe in the right to have a firearm, within reason. There are certain types of weapons I believe should only be available for the military during combat. I cannot believe that anyone has a legitimate reason to have access to certain types of weapons.
I do not want to have a gun in my home, nor does my husband. I don't know the statistics, but I believe that many gun owners have had their weapons turned on them by intruders, and that scares me. I also have a child (and a second on the way) and would never want her to gain access to a gun and ammunition, let alone any of her friends.
I think it's irresponsible, or at least passing the buck, to ask Americans to defend themselves because the police aren't going to arrive on time. I can't wait for the slew of lawsuits to begin based on this kind of thinking. Will people lose faith in their police officers and not even call, taking the law into their own hands?