Believe it or not, but there are actually rank-and-file officers who believe that guns in the hands of good people for self-defense is actually a good thing. I know this because I know quite of them personally whom I count as friends. I also network with countless others on a regular basis online who have never wavered in their support of gun rights.
On the other hand, I have had my share of first-hand experiences with law enforcement officers who weren't so open-minded. I have also heard accounts from others who were given paternalistic, condescending, and misleading advice against carrying arms from officers.
So, which characterization is more true? Usually, a law enforcement agency's official take and stance on guns owned and carried by good people is shaped by statements from their leadership. Thus, today I was shocked when I heard DPD's Chief James Craig openly acknowledge on a local radio show that good people with guns (CPLs) translates into crime reduction.
Ion today's "Paul W. Smith Show" Craig said the following about why there probably hasn't been any instances of the "Knockout Game" in Detroit.
"There's a number of CPL-holders running around the city of Detroit. It's probably not a real good idea. I think it acts as a deterrent. Good Americans with CPLs translates into crime reduction. I learned that real quick in the state of Maine."
You see, we aren't used to upper eschelon law enforcement leadership tell a sliver of truth about guns. Usually, we hear that they are all bad and the public needs to sell them "back" to make the city safer.
Please note that I am not suggesting that the police chief is pro-gun. However, I am recognizing that he is at least not actively hostile to gun rights, as evidenced by some who have preceded him in his position. Chief Craig does not begrudgingly admit, as others before him, that citizens have a right to keep and bear arm. Instead, it appears to me, that he recognizes it out-right.
And to be totally honest, that is a radical departure from what law-abiding gun owners have seen and heard from DPD leadership on this subject in a long time. I hope it continues.
About The Author
Rick Ector is a National Rifle Association credentialed Firearms Trainer, who provides Michigan CCW Class training in Detroit for students at his firearms school - Rick's Firearm Academy of Detroit. Ector is a recognized expert in firearm safety and has been featured extensively in the national and local media: Associated Press, UPI, NRAnews, Guns Digest, Tactical-Life, The Truth About Guns, The Politics Daily, Fox News Detroit, The Detroit News, The Detroit Examiner, WJLB, WGPR, and the UrbanShooterPodcast.
For more info about free shooting lessons for women and Michigan CCW Classes, please contact:
Rick's Firearm Academy of Detroit
Web: http://www.detroitccw.com.
Email: info@detroitccw.com
Phone: 313.733.74
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I do most of my blogging and article writing in coffee shops because there are too many distractions at home.
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