How’s That Good Guy With a Gun Thing Working Out For You?
Seriously — have you been following the story of the ex-LAPD officer who went on a shooting rampage? It is a horrific story — a fired police officer who decides that he is working out his perceived injustices on other officers or their families. This is a story of a previous good guy — one trained to use guns by the government — who is now just a guy with a bunch of guns seemingly seeking revenge.
The LA Times has been doing a great job of covering this, including the extended manhunt in the mountains west of LA and an effort by the LAPD to re-open their investigation into the events that led to the shooter’s dismissal.
But what about this? In searching for Christopher Dorner, the LAPD has shot two women — mother and daughter — in a blue pickup truck delivering papers. The LAPD is calling this “mistaken identity” — shooting two women in a pickup truck. Which just looks to me that the good guys carrying guns here experienced a pretty big failure in their training. And the LAPD also shot this man who was off to sneak in some surfing while driving a black pickup truck. The man here was not struck by any bullets, fortunately, but his lawyer has some choice words here:
“I don’t want to use the word buffoonery but it really is unbridled police lawlessness,” said Robert Sheahen, Perdue’s attorney. “These people need training and they need restraint.”
Good guys with guns, right? Aren’t they supposed to be the antidote for bad guys with guns? Looks to me like Wayne LaPierre ought to get ready to discuss the LAPD exception to that rule. Because the good guys with guns are causing plenty of mayhem on their own here.
Tags: Gun Contol
I get that cops have a tough job, but studies show that when you get two or more together the chances that they will screw up goes up exponentially.
What studies?
He is not a good guy. He is a bad guy. That is why he got fired in the first place
Suxwatcher, look up police errors and the effects of group size. Or go to night school. My comments assume an above average knowledge of current events and basic computer literacy. Sorry if that leaves you feeling on the outside looking in.
Rusty-
Did you read his “manifesto”? He was a good guy, and he tried to work through the “system”. He was rebuffed at every turn. He finally snapped. To paraphrase Chris Rock in reference to the O.J. Simpson murders, I don’t agree w/ what he’s done, but I understand.
If you cite studies, I expect you’ll have studies to show, not just a Google search.
Jason–Based on his comments to puck in another thread, SW despises google & anyone who uses it.
SW proved me wrong about the DE DMV inspection manual being posted online sometime last year. He/she used google to prove his/her point, so I guess he/she uses google when it suits his/her purposes.
And yes, I’m using the his/her/he/she thing just to be an asshole. I know one when I see one, and SW is a fellow traveler.
Check out Freakonomics if you want something a little more accessible. If you are still curious about the studies, check the bibliography. (that’s the part in the back of the book where the studies are listed)
Roland, your like bill murray in ghost busters, he said he was confused by the whole good bad thing. Well let me simplify it for you, no one that goes around murdering people in cold blood is a good guy, no matter what things they have done in the past.
Rusty, you have your nerve talking about ANYONE being confused. And of course you would bypass the fact that the so-called good guys in the LAPD have open fired on two trucks that didn’t match the description of the one Dorner was driving and people driving said trucks that didn’t match the description of Dorner. By a long shot. So even the so-called good guys can’t quite get it right.
Rusty, please help us out with your binary moral system: were the cops that shot at the innocent people good people or bad people?
” no one that goes around murdering people in cold blood is a good guy, no matter what things they have done in the past.” – maybe Rusty is talking about the cops who shoot anyone in a truck who are in that area
Jason: I googled your terms and found nothing about police officer errors and group size. Lots of things separately about police officer errors and group size, but not a single study making the point you made.
Roland: It takes 30 seconds to copy and paste a link. Telling someone “Google it” when you have a specific source is just ignorant.
You guys have jumped the shark. I support the fine people of law enforcement and I oppose disarming them. Are you saying police should be disarmed? I vehemently disagree. Yes, the good guys with guns works quite well for us.
I have been following this story. It’s quite astounding and frightening. Dorner obviously planned this out, otherwise the police would have found him by now. His manifesto is really disturbing.
The LAPD is obviously freaked out in a very unprofessional way – hence the shoot at everything. I’d suggest they need more training, but I’m not sure if training is the only problem.
“Are you saying police should be disarmed? I vehemently disagree. ”
If not for straw men, David would have no friends at all.
No, David, what we are saying is that there are some problems for which the answer “if only they had more guns!” is utterly ludicrous.
BREAKING: Shots fired inside the Wilmington Courthouse, several injured.
http://www.6abctogo.com/wap/news/text.jsp?sid=19&nid=3322368172&from=home
Republican david says, “good guys with guns works well for us.” Define “us,” including the two women wrongly shot because they were seated in a pickup up truck, in the definition.
Also, republican david, one sees you can post here without your post being removed. However, at Delaware Politics, posts regarding climate change with links to the most legitimate climate scientists, submitted in response to posted climate denial nonsense never appeared. Explain your reasoning for banning/removing posts that don’t fit the empty suit (and head) and dictates of the republican denying/lying machine.
As you attach “republican” to your name, republican david, explain why “republican” should be considered as a legitimate political group, if their definition of “us” doesn’t include the rights of all citizens, such a the right of a person to safely sit in their vehicle, the right of bloggers to respond to dangerous fabricated climate propaganda, the rights of children to safely come out to play on a city space, all people’s right to breathe their clear air, drink uncontaminated water, the rights of all citizens to be treated and protected equally, the rights of all citizens to have a government that protects all future generations from the damages of anthropogenic climate change?
Your definition of “us,”republican david.——-
“I support the fine people of law enforcement and I oppose disarming them.”
I support the fine people of law enforcement, too. Not everyone in law enforcement is fine people. Nervous cops shooting into two trucks that have a slight resemblance to Dorner’s is not acceptable. If you need other examples of police officers who are not fine people, check out http://www.policemisconduct.net. And the LAPD is historically corrupt.
I don’t see anyone here supporting the disarming of police.
What Dorner has done is reprehensible. No one supports murder. But that doesn’t mean the LAPD should dismiss what he has written as the work of a madman and murderer.
Reports coming in that Dorner is in a gun battle with police. Two officers are reported down. (Take all this with a grain of salt.)
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/02/12/authorities-responding-to-big-bear-home-on-report-of-hostage-situation-unknown-if-connected-to-dorner/#.URqz4nzxJpE.twitter
one of the deputies shot today has died.