When seconds counts, the police are only minutes away. But then they might spend another hour figuring out what to do. Active shooter protocols have changed a lot since Columbine, but apparently not in Bimghamton.
Remember what the California Court of Appeals says:
Moreover, although the loss of the right to possess firearms can impact an individual’s ability to defend him- or herself, the deprivation does not leave the individual exposed to danger without recourse to other defensive measures, such as installing home security devices and summoning the police.
Thanks, but no thanks. When the shit hits the fan, I think I’d rather rely on my Glock.
They all know how to talk out of their asses. Let’s see how well their asses talk when theirs is on the line. Seconds really do count when the police are minutes away.
A similar (if decidedly less dramatic) incident unfolded in my former home town this tuesday, in which a murder suspect (already dead from the famous self-inflicted gunshot wound) held off the local SWAT team in a “Stand off” for FIVE HOURS before they sent in a remote control robot.
http://kingmandailyminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=30638&TM=24239.54
Its amazing to me that anyone thinks they can rely solely on the police for their personal safety, when at best, they seem to be best suited for support and working as a team with the community as whole to assist in their common security concerns.
In what is probably the first “mass shooting” in the american media, of the less than 15 men named as heros on the Univerisity of Texas Tower Heros plaque, 4 of those heros were civilians, including Allen Crum, who (armed) cleared the way for officers to confront and stop the rampage of Charles Whitman in 1966.
It doesnt take a badge to do the right thing, and sometimes, if you wait for a man with a badge to do the right thing, you might have to wait.
As to what they were doing for the five hours when the safety of the victims was entirely unknown, i can only speculate, but the lyrics of the only arlo guthrie song i know do come to mind:
“And they was using up all kinds of cop equipment that they had hanging around the police officer’s station. They was taking plaster tire tracks, foot prints, dog smelling prints, and they took twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one…”
Ranted about it last night. Contrasting to eh nursing home shooter where a local cop went in after the shooter and stopped the attack.
http://gungeekrants.blogspot.com/2009/04/police-response-to-shootings.html
OT, but I see the “high powered rifle” of yesterday has become a “high powered gun.” Unlike the cops, the media has no problem jumping to conclusions.
I read that the two receptionista were shot. One survived and had called 911 and stayed on the line. She suffered from 10:30 to 1:30 for help just because of th ecowardice of the police. How many victims might have lived if got help sooner?
The cops response was very bad. Why have cops? They did not help anyone. Lets evaluate if we need cops that much versus emt which do help and will go harzardous conditions to rescue people.
We have volunteer firemen and ambulance crews. How about volunteer cops?
I’m not sure I’d call it cowardice. I don’t know that I have a better word, but if you’re trained to react one way, breaking out of that training to just go Rambo on this mutant could be bad.
Let’s imagine his (apparently) one or two accomplices were armed and you burst in thinking there’s only one guy. Now you’re dead or wounded – did that help?
I personally do not consider the cops lives more valuable than the victims. So if a cop got shot and that stopped the killing that that would have been worth it. If the killer is dead then the cop would have known earlier and emergency rescue could have saved lives of the shot victims.