Amir Locke's Death Should Incense Anyone Who Cares About Gun Rights

[Synthaholic]

From Reason, the Libertarian source.​

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Amir Locke's Death Should Incense Anyone Who Cares About Gun Rights​

The 22-year-old man was shot by a Minneapolis police officer during the execution of a no-knock warrant on which he was not named.​

An officer with the Minneapolis Police Department SWAT team shot and killed a 22-year-old man early Wednesday morning during the execution of a no-knock raid, reinvigorating debate around a law-enforcement tactic that many say is ripe for abuse.

The victim, Amir Locke, who appeared to be asleep on the couch that morning, was not named on that warrant. In a matter of about three seconds, body camera footage shows the man—buried under a thick white blanket—stirring to the sound of the cops' entry with his hand on the barrel of a firearm. Officer Mark Hanneman then shoots him three times.

*snip*

Locke's scenario should bother just about anyone who supports the right to carry a firearm. The Second Amendment does not discriminate, nor does it evaporate as soon as the government enters the premises, particularly when considering that the Founding impetus behind it was to protect against a tyrannical state.

The National Rifle Association (NRA), the country's premier gun advocacy group, has yet to make a statement on the killing. They've struggled with this before. Consider Philando Castile, who was shot and killed by St. Anthony Police Department Officer Jeronimo Yanez in 2016 during a routine traffic stop after Castile calmly indicated he had a firearm in the vehicle. (St. Anthony is a suburb of Minneapolis, located about five minutes across the Mississippi River.)

The NRA remained silent for quite a while until August 2017 when then-spokesperson Dana Loesch said that the organization declined to defend Castile because he had marijuana in his car at the time of his death. As of this writing, no NRA spokesperson has responded to Reason's request for comment.

 

[pknopp]

There is no way that the NRA will side with gun rights over cops.

 

[Moonglow]

More Gestapo tactics by the pigs.

 

[Esdraelon]

There is no way that the NRA will side with gun rights over cops.

If they won't do it for THIS, then yeah, I'd agree, they're unfit for cause. That was an execution. I don't care if the guy's name HAD been on the warrant. I guess some people will ask why he had a gun in his hand while he was sleeping but that really isn't the POINT, IS IT? He was fookin' SLEEPING in a residence he apparently had permission to be in AND was legally registered to carry.

This is the kind of insane bullshit that happens when cops are allowed - by law - to kick doors, any time of day or night, come in screaming and yelling - often abusively - and drawing down on everything that moves like they're in some made for TV drama. Nah, this cop goes to jail, the kid's family sues for a fortune but bury's a son, and in the meantime, a city burns. All because of a twitchy trigger finger on a guy who is supposed to be TRAINED to handle this kind of situation.

DISGUSTING...

 

[toobfreak]

Amir Locke's Death Should Incense Anyone Who Cares About Gun Rights​

Darn tootin'. About time I get some more incensed about now too!

 

[Death-Ninja]

I'm sorry but I have better information on this episode, it was NOT a no-knock entry, at least that is what police are saying, they announced selves repeatedly!

 

[pknopp]

I'm sorry but I have better information on this episode, it was NOT a no-knock entry, at least that is what police are saying, they announced selves repeatedly!

They lied according to the video but even if it was true (it isn't) it is still not justified.

 

[Death-Ninja]

They lied according to the video but even if it was true (it isn't) it is still not justified.

We DO NOT know that! Local media reports this was NOT a no-knock entry, until that is reliably refuted via irrefutable evidence, including witness accounts, it was not a no-knock entry, and if it was not a no-knock entry, then the issue becomes why did Locke not respond prior to forced entry? Now, that shreds entire supposition of the op unless "proven" otherwise, you claiming they lied absent definitive proof of such, or that it lacked justification based upon sourced link, is pure unadulterated confirmation bias.....

 

[pknopp]

We DO NOT know that! Local media reports this was NOT a no-knock entry, until that is reliably refuted via irrefutable evidence, including witness accounts, it was not a no-knock entry, and if it was not a no-knock entry, then the issue becomes why did Locke not respond prior to forced entry? Now, that shreds entire supposition of the op unless "proven" otherwise, you claiming they lied absent definitive proof of such, or that it lacked justification based upon sourced link, is pure unadulterated confirmation bias.....

The video is online. All you have to do is watch it. They do not announce themselves until they are entering the door.

They then shot and killed an innocent man.

 

[pknopp]

Local gun rights group has come out in Amir's defense.

Minnesota gun rights organization condemns fatal police shooting: 'Amir Locke, a lawful gun owner, should still be alive'

I've still seen nothing from the NRA.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

particularly when considering that the Founding impetus behind it was to protect against a tyrannical state.

Wrong.

There’s nothing in the history, text, or case law of the Second Amendment that supports insurrectionist dogma.

Otherwise – and again – the issue isn’t the Second Amendment, it’s the Fourth Amendment, where no knock ‘warrants’ clearly violate the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

There is no way that the NRA will side with gun rights over cops.

There is no way that the NRA will side with the gun rights of a black man over cops.

 

[bodecea]

There is no way that the NRA will side with the gun rights of a black man over cops.

The NRA backed a ban on open carry in CA because black men were openly carrying guns.

 

[SavannahMann]

There is room for debate, and room to consider. Let’s begin with the practice of early morning no knock warrants.

The argument developed during the 1980’s, after we learned that the KGB had studied and found that at about three in the morning the human body reaches it’s low point. This was the ideal time to conduct a raid, and we found that the KGB was right. The humans were less alert, less coordinated. Especially if they were asleep.

That meant the odds of a successful raid, determined as one that got the evidence available before it could be destroyed, and with no injuries or deaths among cops, was much higher.

But there is a problem too. And it should be obvious to you gentle reader. That is that the person just waking up is confused, it takes time to fully awaken. The person can’t make out the words. What is this person shouting? Why are they here? Reactions are instinctive. And instinct is always fight or flight in the animals on this planet.

So while the cops are shouting the approved message, and moving quickly to secure the scene, the individuals are waking to confusing and frightening circumstances. If you think I overstate it, have a loved one remove your firearms, or render them safe before you sleep. Then have those loved ones rush you wearing black including balaclava masks, shouting and jumping on you. Make sure that your insurance is up to date, and you have your cards on you, because chances are someone is going to need medical care.

I had surgery on my hand. I woke from surgery confused, disoriented from the anesthetic. I woke combative, and the words and assurances of the nurses that everything was OK, might as well have been in Klingon. I didn’t understand. Two male orderlies were injured in the fight. I hit them with the cast encasing my hand.

I did not intend to injure anyone. I honestly had no idea what was happening, and I was fighting for my life. That was all I understood. Fortunately the surgery was conducted in a Military Hospital, and the people understood that reactions of Combat Veterans was likely to be outside the norm from time to time. I regret that people were injured, but until I was coherent enough to understand what was going on, I wasn’t really responsible, it wasn’t my fault. It was an instinctive response. Exactly the sort of response you would want, and expect in a Combat Arms soldier. Fight when your life depends on it. Fight against any odds. And fight holding nothing back. It is what we train Soldiers to do. Fight being the entire purpose of having an Army.

Since that time, I’ve warned medical personnel of this incident. Warning them that I have previously woken in extreme violence, so that they can be aware, and choose the right medications so I wake more gently, and with greater awareness as I wake. They also strap me down to insure that I won’t react with violence, if I do wake confused and in a frame of mind where fighting is vital to my survival. So far, nobody else has been hurt after surgeries.

But that waking prepared for violence is not just something that is likely with ex military. It is possible with anyone. We have seen it with several shootings of late haven’t we? People who woke to the shock and awe blitzkrieg of the Police Middle of the night warrants service.

The people don’t have time to wake up, and understand what is happening. They have seconds to react, and they react using force to defend themselves. Anyone remember Breonna Taylor?

And this reaction is a danger to police. In an effort to reduce the coordinated response, the police increase the risk of the uncoordinated response.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2014/02/10/some-justice-in-texas-the-raid-on-henry-magee/

We have seen this scene play out, with deaths on both sides of the argument. Civilians killed because they are reacting to an immediate threat as they see it, and police killed by people who believe they are defending their home from an invasion attack.

It is time to consider the use of early morning raids. It is time to consider the no knock warrants. If they are justifiable in extreme circumstances, then only use during extreme circumstances is warranted.

If everyone is going to be out of the Apartment at two in the afternoon, why not conduct the search then? If everyone is going to be out of the House at six in the evening, then six in the evening is the time to conduct the search. The Evidence will be easier to find if there aren’t bullets flying in both directions won’t it?

Remember this wasn’t an arrest warrant. It was a search warrant. The police believed that evidence was in the apartment, somewhere. Maybe. Perhaps.

If there is no rush, why rush? Be patient, and be smart. Arrest the guy on the street if you find the evidence. Surround him and get him to surrender. But busting into the house in the wee hours hoping that he doesn’t react by shooting at you, is a small consolation if your partner is killed by a stray bullet, or lucky shot from a frightened homeowner who is otherwise not a criminal.

A young man, who according to his family, had a valid concealed weapons permit, and was otherwise a law abiding citizen, is dead. Because he reacted to what he perceived as a threat. And sadly, I would probably wake the same way. Reaching for a gun, trying to understand a situation when sleep is driven from my mind, and I’m still confused and only just waking. When action would be required, before I could have time to understand the situation, or the screaming that is going on.

There is a lot of things to consider, and we have taken too much for granted for three decades, or more, and now we are forced by circumstance to have the conversation we should have had three decades ago.

 

[MarcATL]

Where is the NRA on this issue?
Where are the usual 2nd Amendment rights gun nuts of USMB on this issue?
Unsurprisingly silent, on this issue.

Anyone care to guess why??!???

 

[Rogue AI]

How is this a 2nd amendment issue? The police had a lawfully obtained warrant, were in the right location, and seeking a 17 yr old murder suspect. It wasn't Locke's apartment, the police had no reason to expect him or have his name on the warrant. Looks like bad luck all the way around, for the victim and the cops just doing their job. Given the anti-police environment liberals have created, why would cops take chances? Every week we hear another story of police being gunned down. All this outrage is a red herring because the facts don't support the narrative.

 

[pknopp]

How is this a 2nd amendment issue? The police had a lawfully obtained warrant, were in the right location, and seeking a 17 yr old murder suspect. It wasn't Locke's apartment, the police had no reason to expect him or have his name on the warrant. Looks like bad luck all the way around, for the victim and the cops just doing their job. Given the anti-police environment liberals have created, why would cops take chances? Every week we hear another story of police being gunned down. All this outrage is a red herring because the facts don't support the narrative.

The man killed was doing nothing illegal. He was sleeping on the couch and the cops busted in and killed him.

 

[Rogue AI]

The man killed was doing nothing illegal. He was sleeping on the couch and the cops busted in and killed him.

The cops were executing a lawfully obtained warrant seeking a murder suspect. Locke was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It wasn't his apartment, and was known as a trouble spot, several calls to police in previous months. Nothing to do with the 2nd, 4th, or out of control cops. It's manufactured outrage with no valid targets.

 

[pknopp]

The cops were executing a lawfully obtained warrant seeking a murder suspect. Locke was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It wasn't his apartment, and was known as a trouble spot, several calls to police in previous months. Nothing to do with the 2nd, 4th, or out of control cops. It's manufactured outrage with no valid targets.

Like so many others you just made this up. Typical.

 

[Rogue AI]

Like so many others you just made this up. Typical.

Nope, all true. You just want to whine and cry, all the while being utterly ignorant of the facts. You are pathetic.