Chicago cop: "I wish that every honest citizen owned a gun and knew how to use it"

That was published in Guns magazine fifty years ago.

When every school had a rifle team, taught firearm safety and nearly every kid hunted.

As a law enforcement officer, I wish that every honest citizen owned a gun and knew how to use it. I wish there were more shooting organizations, more arms practice by civilians- men and women. I'm not in the least afraid of a gun in the hands of an honest, competent citizen. That citizen and his gun could make my job a lot easier.

-Detective Newburgh

Sept 1961

How things have changed.

It's a lot of fun going through these old issues of the magazine. A lot of fun and really really sad to see how things have changed with no real gain in "safety."

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


I think everyone should own a gun and know how to use it. Just leveling the playing field is the quickest way to keep people safe from criminals in the harsher more dangerous environment we live in today, since cops are so often absent or no help at all.

I agree with this man, everyone needs to not only know how to use a gun and own it, but also everyone needs to know how to hunt. I mean when TSHTF, we need to know how to be animals.

For this to work you will have to eliminate alcohol consumption and hardcore pharmaceuticals completely in the u.s due to the fact that drunkard and druggies dont have the mental ability to conduct themselves in a meaningful way. Plus the intelligence level of the commoner in the larger cities is very very low but once most of this is eliminated you will see that there will be no need for guns after all.

Originally posted by Shadow Herder
For this to work you will have to eliminate alcohol consumption and hardcore pharmaceuticals completely in the u.s due to the fact that drunkard and druggies dont have the mental ability to conduct themselves in a meaningful way. Plus the intelligence level of the commoner in the larger cities is very very low but once most of this is eliminated you will see that there will be no need for guns after all.

Notice that the police said "Honest"
Also, Your last sentance is very generalized. I live in a pretty big city and Im a pretty smart guy.

Originally posted by spw184
Also, Your last sentance is very generalized. I live in a pretty big city and Im a pretty smart guy.

There are always flowers in the weed fields.

Why would people need guns? To protect them from who? Why and why are they like that?

reply to post by Shadow Herder

I believe that your question has already been answered. Protect them from druggies and other criminals that would want to do them and their families harm.

Maybe you need to be a victim of one of these attacks to truly understand. Not saying that I wish this opon you at all and hope you will always have a peacefuller life.

Originally posted by Shadow Herder

Originally posted by spw184
Also, Your last sentance is very generalized. I live in a pretty big city and Im a pretty smart guy.

There are always flowers in the weed fields.

Why would people need guns? To protect them from who? Why and why are they like that?

edit on 18-10-2011 by Shadow Herder because: (no reason given)

If people had guns criminals would have a harder time. The only option would be to develop better guns, but the criminals usually dont have an high enough IQ to do this.

Originally posted by spw184

Originally posted by Shadow Herder

Originally posted by spw184
Also, Your last sentance is very generalized. I live in a pretty big city and Im a pretty smart guy.

There are always flowers in the weed fields.

Why would people need guns? To protect them from who? Why and why are they like that?

edit on 18-10-2011 by Shadow Herder because: (no reason given)

If people had guns criminals would have a harder time. The only option would be to develop better guns, but the criminals usually dont have an high enough IQ to do this.

. Better guns? Really? What happened to " Im a pretty smart guy" ?

If you need a gun for protection this is why ; You live in a crappy town, you live in a crappy state, you live in a pathetic country surrounded by imbeciles. You cant - leave your car open, front door, walk at night in the majority of 'nice' cities in the u.s and Canada. But remember, one man buys a gun for protection and uses it out of anger another buys it for offense but uses it for defense.

Bottom line people are idiots, guns are stupid.

Originally posted by Stormwind
reply to post by Shadow Herder

 

I
Maybe you need to be a victim of one of these attacks to truly understand. Not saying that I wish this opon you at all and hope you will always have a peacefuller life.

Where I live there are very little handguns and ZERO shootings a year. When people fight, usually when drunk, they use their fists, but in larger cities I have witnessed shooting in bars and streets over nothing just another stupid bar fight but, oh look out yo, I got piece, blam blam.

Here look at stupidity at its best.

reply to post by Shadow Herder


It doesnt have to be a crappy city full of crappy people.

I live in the middle of nowhere and routinely bears, coyotes, angry/horny moose, bobcats etc... all make their way into your way.

Just taking the trash out to the shed at night can (and has) result in a mauling.

reply to post by Shadow Herder


I can see your point but believe that if you take the guns away from the honest citizen then only the criminals will have the guns, they are criminals after all.

I base my opinion on what we have seen in England where the criminals are not afraid anymore and cause more trouble now than ever before.

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


For wildlife is a different topic all together. To kill humans and defend against other humans is backwards and insane in this day and age.

I have bears in my back yard, foxes, and the occasional bobcat and I have yet the need to shoot one. You must learn to respect. But there is so much human decay going on that society has become cancerous and deadly. Trust and love is something unknown.

I think we should all disarm, eliminate alcohol, close bars, and liquor venders. These alone will change the u.s for ever for the best. Remember that ancient countries in the middle east have long banned booze, porn, guns for a reason. The have over 1000 years of experience compared to the U.S's couple of hundred years.

reply to post by Shadow Herder


They tried that. Do you consider prohibition to have been a success?

reply to post by Shadow Herder


And yet they have been at war with each other and killing thousands of innocents for thousands of years.

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


I agree. And I would venture to say that owning a gun for protection in cities, is different from owning a gun for protection living in, say, Gunnison, Colo., or Glendo, Wyo. I've lived both out west, and in major east coast metro areas, and I can say that I understand what both sides of the gun control debate are trying to say. I understand the value of a gun as a tool to protect yourself and your family, especially in some of the more mountainous and wild areas, from not only four-legged beasts, but maybe every once in a while the beasts that walk on two. I won't let anyone just take anything that is mine. However, the cities' gun problems are far greater.

I don't know any responsible gun owner that would just give his 12 year old a loaded weapon and say, ok see you after school! And in the cities you are often getting these kids as drug runners, gang members...with no training on how to use a weapon correctly. Guns on the city streets are like cockroaches, for every one you see, there are six more right there hanging around. It seems like a combination of things are what's wrong.

Strict "city only" gun laws don't work, and I disagree with some of the reciprocal state agreements, such as the one between Florida and Pennsylvania. I think Philadelphia is a good example of my point. They have tons of laws on the books, but guns still get into the hands of criminals. I think part of the problem is the relaxed requirements on gun shows, and the people who will take advantage of that, go buy some inordinate amount of weaponry with the intent purpose of bringing it back and selling it to a gang or some other nefarious person.

I don't know the answer, but I would encourage anyone who thinks all guns be outlawed, to go live in a place where once the sun goes down, it actually becomes dark, and you see stars and not airplane lights, skyscraper needles and the constant glow of the city. And for those of you who think there should be no restrictions, I say visit down the block and around the way, and "park it up..." or visit the mother who lives in squaller, whose child died at the age 7 or 8 for going to school, not knowing a drug war would break out at the entrance of what should have been a safe place. Everyone is so divided about everything, but if we take the time to look at it, there is always a happy medium, but TPTB want us miserable, and everyone for some reason is ok with this.

But I'll take happy over miserable any day.

Originally posted by newcovenant
reply to post by thisguyrighthere

 

I think everyone should own a gun and know how to use it. Just leveling the playing field is the quickest way to keep people safe from criminals in the harsher more dangerous environment we live in today, since cops are so often absent or no help at all.

There's an old saying among gun owners: when seconds count, the police are only minutes away. I am a gun owner, myself. I have my CCW license. I've taught my 13 year old son gun safety and how to shoot. We own and carry for the reason you stated: leveling the playing field. It's quite a Pollyanna attitude to think that if the government took my gun away, I'd be safer. The criminals will always have guns. Putting one in my hand most definitely weighs odds in my favor, as well as the people around me.

Chicago is a very different place than it was in 1961. Now you can't even hardly say the word "gun" without getting hassled. New York is the same. The most crime-ridden cities in the U.S. have the most restrictive gun laws. I can see it, you can see it. Why can't the anti-gun bobbleheads see it?

/TOA

Originally posted by spw184
I agree with this man, everyone needs to not only know how to use a gun and own it, but also everyone needs to know how to hunt. I mean when TSHTF, we need to know how to be animals.

when TSHTF, we need to know how to be animals.

Somehow I think this is going to be the least of our problems. This is a skill we are expert at.