What do you think of the police?

[Pogo]

[...]

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I'm walking up the street to my home. A plain car pulls up and two guys, who are wearing no type of uniform and never identify themselves at all, jump out of the car and pull guns on me. I wouldn't figure out that they were cops until later. But in the moment, had I been walking around packing heat like the gun nuts on this forum continually advise, I would have naturally used it to defend myself. Depending on how good a shot I was (and they were) there would have been some degree of fatality. For no reason at all --- I'm pretty sure cops are required to identify themselves as such. For all I knew these were kidnappers or random murderers/robbers, or whatever.

[...]

First, who are ". . . the gun nuts on this forum. . ." and what do they continually advise? Do they recommend suicidal responses in surprise situations?

You say you were walking home when two guys jumped out of a car with guns (presumably) pointed at you. Then you say if you were carrying you would have done exactly the wrong thing, which is to reach for your own gun -- which, without being absolutely certain these guys intend to kill you, would be stupidly suicidal.

Applying basic logic, if those two guys intended to kill you they would already have begun shooting, so what makes you think you would have time to reach for your own gun? So it follows the only sensible thing to do under those surprising circumstances is to freeze, hope, and wait.

So I strongly doubt that anyone has advised you to do something stupidly suicidal.

Believe it. I've seen this wacko comic book fantasy advice posted here over and over. And again --- obviously I don't believe in said advice, and never have. It's stupid. And I've told them as much, using this same story.

Thus I'm still here, voilà.

And lived to get my three hours sleep before I had to walk out to the same trolley on the same street to go back to work.

 

[Pogo]

[...]

​

I'm walking up the street to my home. A plain car pulls up and two guys, who are wearing no type of uniform and never identify themselves at all, jump out of the car and pull guns on me. I wouldn't figure out that they were cops until later. But in the moment, had I been walking around packing heat like the gun nuts on this forum continually advise, I would have naturally used it to defend myself. Depending on how good a shot I was (and they were) there would have been some degree of fatality. For no reason at all --- I'm pretty sure cops are required to identify themselves as such. For all I knew these were kidnappers or random murderers/robbers, or whatever.

[...]

First, who are ". . . the gun nuts on this forum. . ." and what do they continually advise? Do they recommend suicidal responses in surprise situations?

You say you were walking home when two guys jumped out of a car with guns (presumably) pointed at you. Then you say if you were carrying you would have done exactly the wrong thing, which is to reach for your own gun -- which, without being absolutely certain these guys intend to kill you, would be stupidly suicidal.

Applying basic logic, if those two guys intended to kill you they would already have begun shooting, so what makes you think you would have time to reach for your own gun? So it follows the only sensible thing to do under those surprising circumstances is to freeze, hope, and wait.

So I strongly doubt that anyone has advised you to do something stupidly suicidal.

Believe it. I've seen this wacko comic book fantasy advice posted here over and over. And again --- obviously I don't believe in said advice, and never have. It's stupid. And I've told them as much, using this same story.

Thus I'm still here, voilà.

And lived to get my three hours sleep before I had to walk out to the same trolley on the same street to go back to work.

Actually what's interesting about this story as regards this forum...............

........... when I relate the story in terms of gun nuts they immediately jump to the cops side and declare I must be guilty of something. Even though I'm just the victim.

........... when I explained to you what the reference meant you immediately jumped to the gun nut posters' side and declare they must not have said that.

......... Everybody's got to change the scenario so that their own little fantasy can live on unchallenged.

I find that interesting psychology. Not saying I understand it, just noting it.

 

[MikeK]

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........... when I explained to you what the reference meant you immediately jumped to the gun nut posters' side and declare they must not have said that.

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Pogo,

Please understand that I didn't intend to insult you or to imply that I didn't believe the scenario you laid out. The simple fact is I'm a bit put off by your frequent reference to "gun nuts." I am very much pro-gun and I strongly oppose repressive CCW laws. So it occurs to me that I am among those you think of as "gun nuts." If I'm mistaken, how about telling us exactly what you mean by that derisive designation.

 

[Pogo]

[...]

........... when I explained to you what the reference meant you immediately jumped to the gun nut posters' side and declare they must not have said that.

[...]

Pogo,

Please understand that I didn't intend to insult you or to imply that I didn't believe the scenario you laid out. The simple fact is I'm a bit put off by your frequent reference to "gun nuts." I am very much pro-gun and I strongly oppose repressive CCW laws. So it occurs to me that I am among those you think of as "gun nuts." If I'm mistaken, how about telling us exactly what you mean by that derisive designation.

I thought I already did in the description above. Which was btw not meant to be a blanket statement on everybody who owns a gun, but specifically the wags who play the part of gun whiner on this forum. I think we both know the loudest ones are the nuttiest, and the ones fullest of hot air advice for other people, and I've never known you to be among them, nor had you even mentioned it before I posted that story.

By "gun nuts" I mean those internet tough guys --- the fetishists. And I do mean it derisively as regards those nuts who would have the whole world walking around shooting each other -- as would have happened in my case had I followed their naïve comic book advice. But if that shoe doesn't fit, there's no reason for you to try it on.

Not sure I even remember what that story came up from. This was supposed to be a thread about police.

I'm not at all insulted. I just note the psychology that everybody wants to change the story to suit their preconceptions, rather than simply hear it.