“As we look at this fact pattern, do you feel safer?”
by digby
Another idiotic open carry scare:
According to authorities, the two men walked into the Walmart on Highway 49 around 8 p.m. Witnesses said the man holding the shotgun was actively loading and racking the firearm. Walmart does not have a policy about guns inside its stores.
“If I were in a situation where I’m in the store shopping with my family and I see an individual loading a 12 gauge, and racking it, I’m not coming to the conclusion this is good,” said Papania. “While the actions of these two men are sanctioned by state laws, what they did negatively impacted our community.”
“If there was something I could have arrested these people for, I would,” said Papania.
[…]
“Gun laws should be such that it provides us security. As we look at this fact pattern, do you feel safer?”
That’s nice. But I’m sure we can all agree that it’s lucky for these fellas that they weren’t black or they would have been gunned down either by other patrons or the cops. I’m not kidding. It happens. In Walmart.
I don’t think anyone can confuse me with a police apologist. But I’m sympathetic to them when it comes to the fact that they are the ones on the front line of this ridiculous proliferation of guns. Yes, they sign up to face down armed criminals and that’s part of the job. (And yes, they abuse their authority all the time, particularly when it comes to African Americans and the mentally ill. There is no excuse for the institutional biases that so often come into play.) But you cannot blame them on some level for being paranoid when they are forced not only to take the risk of dealing with armed criminals but average citizens are swaggering round loaded for bear who don’t have clue (or care) what kind of mayhem they’re causing.
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