A libertarian leaning buddy saw someone on some news site getting searched by a cop. Another cop was close by as backup and this one had his hand on the grip of his holstered pistol the whole time. Searching a school counselor returning from Jamaica. Body cavity.
Libertarian thought this hand-on-gun bit was overly provocative, and notes many officers do it as a matter of course. To him this was tantamount to assault with a deadly weapon by the observer cop, putting aside the violations of the search itself.
I didn't see it that way. Certainly not to that degree. I don't like it, but I am not for restricting it. I am thinking that's a good way to maintain weapon retention in case routine search turns full goat rodeo because reasons.
He concedes that the uniform is a representative of Society enforcing it's Rule of Law, and the cop is a human as well as a greater symbol... Just the hand on holstered pistol goes way too far in his eyes. And explicit threat that should be unacceptable.
Now if he was holding the pistol barrel against the subject's head while he is being searched, I do think THAT is a bridge too far.
What say you?
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Your buddy works for the NYT and shoot an AR recently?
Asking for a friend :)
depends on the situation. I was a cop long ago. back then we didn't touch our gun until all other options were exhausted. fewer bad shoots then. but times have changed and it's prudent to be ready to go hot. the problem I have is that limits your options real quickly to lethal force. lethal force should be the last option not the only one. few crimes these days carry the death penalty, fewer still should be executed on the street.
Putting your hand on the gun would, for us civilians, be called 'brandishing' a weapon. We are threatening then with it.
Some states allow brandishing if one is detaining someone.
If I were to be legally open carrying and an officer were to come up and talk to me for whatever reason, what would happen if I started feeling up my gun in the holster? Not drawing it, just resting my hand on the grip while we talked.
If it looks like a threat to the officer, then the officer doing the same thing looks like a threat at the citizen.
Tell officer gun-happy to put his hand on the belt 2" in front of the gun and it takes away the problem.
He's a Marine, Miguel.
I agree that the hand on a gun is a threat, even if he is an officer. But then I think the same standards should apply to both civilians and cops, but many (primarily cops) disagree with me.
I'm surprised that there was a body cavity search along the road; in most cities now, those are only done in hospitals or jails by personnel with special training and equipment due to both the damage possible if done wrong and the possible disease transmission both ways.
customs. not the road.
When I was a yoot, I was drawn on twice in fairly benign, respectful (on my part at least) situations. That was disconcerting and in the one case I could and probably should have filed a complaint. I am bothered by modern police tactics and training, but I have always treated cops with respect. Because that gives better results. And they carry their weapons outside their clothes.
Can I talk to the nice policeman with my hand on the butt of my gun? No? Because it seems like a threat? Hmmm.
I was having a conversation with a cop.
Just a conversation, not in any way job related - I believe we were talking about the crazy people that had brought their dogs to a fireworks show.
Every time he spoke to me, he put his hand on his gun - every... damn... time.
When I mentioned that maybe he shouldn't do that, he could not accept that he did any such thing.
"I DO not ...oh."
The gun is a talisman to most cops. Touching it repeatedly feeds their superiority complex. It's the way that they demonstrate to themselves that the ordinary person is inferior.
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