Murder By Negligence

 

There is no such thing as an 'accidental discharge' of a firearm.  There are only intentional discharges and negligent discharges.

A St.Louis police officer was killed yesterday (Jan 24, 2019) when another police officer 'mishandled' his firearm.  The more correct phraseology is 'died as a result of a negligent discharge'.

There are rules* for the safe handling of firearms.  If you follow these rules, you will never accidentally kill someone:

1. Every gun is loaded.  "I didn't know the gun was loaded" can never be an excuse.
2. Never point a gun at anything you aren't ready to destroy.  Old Man Thompson, he of 'Thompson submachine gun' fame, considered it a firing offense for an employee to point a barrel blank at someone.  A barrel blank is a piece of pipe that will soon become part of a firearm, and most people would not consider it 'dangerous'.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you have decided to shoot.  If your finger is not on the trigger, most modern firearms will not fire.  If a modern firearm "just goes off", it was because somebody "just" had hir finger in the right place.
4. Know what is behind your target, because you will miss.  This seems so intuitive that it shouldn't even have to be said: nobody hits the bullseye with every shot, Hollywood special effects to the contrary notwithstanding.

One or both of the two other police officers who were on the scene when it happened violated at least three of these.  Where were they trained?  Who trained them?  Were they ever taught that their guns were not toys?  What sort of psych evaluation was done before giving them a badge?

Sadly, none of these questions matter, because this incident is not a one-off.  Cops regularly shoot other cops, innocent bystanders, the people they're supposed to be helping, and dogs — especially dogs.  The police, in fact, are beginning to look like the last people you want to call for help in any situation.  At the very least, these officers, having lethally demonstrated exactly how poorly trained they were and are, should be permanently disarmed.  If that means a felony conviction for negligent homicide, I'm okay with that.

It may, in fact, be time to disarm all police.  (What!!  Are you serious??)  Yes, I'm serious.  Today's police are not like the police of yesteryear.  Remember when they were called 'peace officers'?  That's so 20th-century!  Now they're 'law enforcement officers'.  Their charge is no longer 'keeping the peace' but rather 'enforcing the law'.  That's why your local PD has an MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicle in their arsenal.  You don't need an MRAP to pour oil on troubled waters.

And their A-#1 top priority?  'Going home safely at the end of their shift.'  You may not make it home safely at the end of their shift, but you aren't their A-#1 priority.  Isn't it time for the people who pay the bill to become, once again, the beneficiaries of police work rather than its target?

 

* - These rules are generally attributed to Col. Jeff Cooper, but they can be derived from first principles by anyone with half a brain.