Detroit Police Chief Defends Stance on Backing Citizens Carrying Guns
With the caveat that the RWNJ’s will & did run with this ad nauseum, a clearer, more objective look is called for.
In important ways we already know that very responsible people can and do carry guns with a low incident rate. Police, Detectives, armed guards and Brinks Armored crew. These people figure into accidental or criminal use only very rarely. Ex military officers and ex police have the right to carry guaranteed under federal or state law. There are others that deserve the chance. People that carry valuables or have a specific threat against them. People that would require significant, extensive training if starting from zero past experience. Some experienced people particularly returning officers who got small arms training will also be in the mix given the winding down of two wars.
Please don’t take this as a call for the average guy with no reason or threat to just go do this. That is a very demanding decision, and one that rightly plays into the worry quoted below about possible vigilantism. I’d like to see the evidence, if any that the fact of issuance of CCW’s increases the number of those out looking & willing to take the law into their own hands. The caveat again-responsible people as used here are not vigilantes. They are ordinary people that act with care and caution. That care and caution leads them to better decisions, more safety awareness and more training by inclination. Then add a good set of minimums and you have IMHO a workable situation.
Detroit— Police Chief James Craig responded Thursday to a citizen who criticized his pro-gun stance by reiterating his opinion that “good citizens” who legally carry firearms could help deter violent crime.
Detroit resident Sandra Hines on Thursday challenged Craig’s stance during a Detroit Board of Police Commissioners meeting, and asked why he supported citizens arming themselves.
“It could lead to vigilantism,” Hines said. “We already have the open-carry law here, and we have the stand-your-ground law. We don’t need anybody encouraging citizens (to carry guns).”
Craig responded: “I did, in fact, say that good Americans, good Detroiters, if responsible, could get CPLs (carrying pistol licenses), and that it could — emphasis on the word ‘could’ — be a deterrent to violent crime. I said that because of my experience in four cities, having seen good Americans and good Detroiters that have CCWs (carrying concealed weapons permits), and what effect it has had on deterring violent crime.
More: Detroit Police Chief Defends Stance on Backing Citizens Carrying Guns
Although Craig supports having more legal gun owners, he has also emphasized confiscating illegal weapons. On Thursday, he said that in Detroit, each time they take an illegal gun off the street, they’ve likely prevented a robbery or shooting down the line. He also supports banning assault weapons, regulating magazines and ammunition and enforcing tighter background checks at gun shows, according to the Detroit News.
