2aguy
Diamond Member
- Jul 19, 2014
- 111,970
- 52,237
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Yeah....not too many people think about how the police are trained with guns....and this is not a knock on cops, more on the people who think that cops are the only ones who should carry them....
Leave Guns To The Police They re Professionals - The Truth About Guns
A primary reason for those fiascos is surely the fact that the NYPD requires 12-pound triggers on their officer’s issued handguns. By way of comparison, Glocks available to any purchaser come with standard 5.5 pound triggers. Twelve-pound triggers greatly complicate accurate shooting, particularly when repeat shots are required. The heavier and longer the trigger pull, the more difficult it is to obtain consistent shot to shot accuracy. Triggers in the 12-pound range predictably cause officers to miss, and to miss badly, as the incidents linked in that article chronicle. Combine this factor with the kind of mediocre training that is all too common in police work, and it’s a miracle the police are able to hit anything at which they shoot.
Why would any law enforcement organization (LEO) mandate triggers that all but ensure their officers will miss and shoot innocents? They are inherently anti-gun, and they do not trust their officers. In many cases, such LEOs are more worried about their officers having a negligent discharge (ND) than any other potential danger. If this is their primary concern, it’s easy to understand why they might mandate a very heavy trigger.
There are certainly LEOs that provide good training, continually upgraded, and that schedule regular and well-planned qualifications, but that is not the case for most. Full-agency qualifications are very expensive, not only in ammunition costs, but in manpower costs. Officers must be taken off the street, normally for an entire shift, which requires multiple trainings over multiple days. This requires assigning other officers, usually at overtime rates, to replace missing street officers, as well as the officers administering the training/qualification.
Leave Guns To The Police They re Professionals - The Truth About Guns
A primary reason for those fiascos is surely the fact that the NYPD requires 12-pound triggers on their officer’s issued handguns. By way of comparison, Glocks available to any purchaser come with standard 5.5 pound triggers. Twelve-pound triggers greatly complicate accurate shooting, particularly when repeat shots are required. The heavier and longer the trigger pull, the more difficult it is to obtain consistent shot to shot accuracy. Triggers in the 12-pound range predictably cause officers to miss, and to miss badly, as the incidents linked in that article chronicle. Combine this factor with the kind of mediocre training that is all too common in police work, and it’s a miracle the police are able to hit anything at which they shoot.
Why would any law enforcement organization (LEO) mandate triggers that all but ensure their officers will miss and shoot innocents? They are inherently anti-gun, and they do not trust their officers. In many cases, such LEOs are more worried about their officers having a negligent discharge (ND) than any other potential danger. If this is their primary concern, it’s easy to understand why they might mandate a very heavy trigger.
There are certainly LEOs that provide good training, continually upgraded, and that schedule regular and well-planned qualifications, but that is not the case for most. Full-agency qualifications are very expensive, not only in ammunition costs, but in manpower costs. Officers must be taken off the street, normally for an entire shift, which requires multiple trainings over multiple days. This requires assigning other officers, usually at overtime rates, to replace missing street officers, as well as the officers administering the training/qualification.
