MODS: I put this in IMHO, rather than Great Debates, as I didn’t feel it was narrow enough to qualify. If you feel it would be better moderated elsewhere, you have my permission to move it.
DISCLAIMER: This is a thread to discuss how to secure yourself, steps you feel we/others should take politically, or legislative changes you think would be best, but should be at least plausible. This topic will of course touch on various Gun Control issues, but any such should be viewed in light of that need. In other words, yes, the situation could be vastly improved by adopting rules such as those seen in Canada, but are unlikely in the extreme to pass the legislature, much less the SCOTUS within the next decade.
With that out of the way, I’ve been pondering the horrible state of the United States these days, especially in term of all of those who Serve and Protect fail us. Our police forces are verifiably corrupt, willing to use unjustified violence, and have no legal duty to protect the citizens at all. In fact, our laws, their unions, and the Code of Silence they adopt are predominantly designed to protect them from retribution.
At the same time, we have an overwhelming violence problem. It is absolutely made worse by the hodge-podge of federal and state permissiveness on firearm access, concealment, and proliferation, and that’s leaving out the illegal users of such. Our failures are manifold, and often those at greatest risk are made targets, especially schools.
The Republican party has made the assumption for years that by arming more individuals, we can protect everyone. That heroic individuals will stand up and stop those perceived and actual threats, at risk of their own lives, and that by adding layers of security, such things will be rare indeed.
In response, we have armed guards at schools, multiple levels of local, state, and federal response forces.
And they all fail. Uvalde proved that. There is no coherency, no responsibility, no unity of purpose or training. It was all a shift-the-blame game while people died. In today’s news, the security officer at Parkland was cleared of all charges, at least in part (or whole) because they did not meet the state’s legal requirement of being a caregiver or otherwise responsible for the students.
On the Democrat side, we have a large, well-meaning group who feel that with the legal will, we can and will legislate firearms away. And despite being a gun owner myself, I do feel that this is going to be the only long-term fix - violence won’t go away, but it will reduce the scale of such events. Will people kill, and attempt mass killings? Sure, I foresee many more “drive my car/truck into masses of people I hate” killings, but those are increasing anyway and it’s a bit harder at least to drive a F-150 into a school.
Back to the disclaimer though, I see NO way this will happen soon. Decades probably at best. So what do we do right now?
The economic and political elite are largely insulated from the problem, as they can expect protection via private or dedicated governmental security. You and I (well I at least) are not going to be able to afford full time security that will be held accountable if they fail to do their jobs.
Some fellow gun owners use the inherent insecurity of the situation to justify more deadly, and more proactive use of firearms. Each event increases demand for weapons, for ammunition, and the willingness to see everyone else as a threat. To the point that someone in your driveway is a valid target for lethal force. I see this as part of the problem, not the solution.
So, at the end of all this gloom and doom, do I have any solutions to share, before I ask you to do the same?
Well, yes, but it won’t be easy, but far less likely to run aground on the shoals of the SCOTUS.
And that’s police reform. While “Defund the Police” was a slogan that did more harm than good, it brought the concept of police accountability into sharp relief. And yet, years down the line, very little has actually occurred. Sure, body cams have reduced the abuses, and made a few cops sweat, but too many recent events have shown how the Blue Team will deflect, excuse, and lie. Or will suddenly go “OMFG, is your camera still on?”
So in terms of specifics I’d like to see, is that we get some federally (!) mandated training and oversight of all the flavors of local police, sheriffs, state patrol, etc. Just as we’ve repeatedly seen in the financial/banking world, self-reporting and discipline does NOT work.
Second, and related, is that crimes of omission need to be judged, and harshly, if we’re going to break the silence that protects the worst of the bunch. If you lie on behalf of another officer, verbally, via paperwork, or simply remaining silent when you know that party is committing crimes or concealing them - you need to share the responsibility. No more ‘notes in the file’ that never reach the parties hurt, the civilian authorities, or have any consequences.
Third, and finally, as has been discussed in multiple threads, we need to once again have a federally controlled registry of all persons who are authorized with police powers. No more conviction of crimes or uncontrolled negligence in one jurisdiction, who jumps into a new area/state and repeats the same abuses.
Again - this will not FIX our problems. We have systemic issues with race, inequality, firearms, hatred, distrust, and a near rabid hatred of the ‘other’. Our politicians and media fan the above, whether unwittingly or with great gusto, sadly enough. We’re not going to fix ANY of those problems fast. But we can fix the cops.
Or if you have a better idea, and one that just may work, let me know.
