In the wake of the San Bernardino massacre, Detroit Police Chief James Craig and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona have asked citizens who can legally carry firearms to do so whenever they are out and about. Police chiefs and sheriffs in New York and Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke are also calling for armed citizens to be part of our national defense against terrorism. Kentucky Sheriff Helmig [above] has added his name to this growing list. The concept is not new . . .
America was founded – and the Second Amendment enacted – long before the country’s first professional police force was established. Armed citizens were responsible for their own safety, and the collective safety of their communities. It’s only in the last hundred years or so, as “progressives” have attempted to convince a disarmed people that they are “safer” than people who are armed, that “call 911” has superseded personal responsibility.
Post San Bernardino, large swathes of the the American public are coming to realize that a disarmed populace is only “safer” for those who wish to kill them. As the propagandists’ stranglehold on the assault media is loosening, voices of reason are emerging from the incessant and increasingly ineffectual calls for citizen disarmament. From the Boone County Sheriff Facebook page:
I have reminded my current and retired Deputy Sheriffs of their responsibility to carry their firearms while off-duty. I would also like to remind the people who have applied, been trained, and issued a license to carry a Concealed Deadly Weapon (CCDW) that they also have a responsibility to carry their firearm, which they are proficient with, for the safety of themselves and others. It is also the responsibility of everyone to refresh themselves with the laws that govern the privilege and great responsibility that accompany being a CCDW license holder.
Even the Police Chief in the extreme anti-Second Amendment rights city of the District of Columbia has urged citizens confronted with a terror attack to fight. Police carry guns to defend themselves. It is not surprising that they understand the utility of doing so.
©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
I’ll not hold my breath for the sheriff of Alameda county, CA to encourage citizens to step up and protect themselves. How could we? Only the wealthy and connected get permits here.
Way past time for constitutional carry nationwide.
Now, if the ACLU would step up and do what they claim they do we might see some relief here. Not gonna hold my breath for that either.
Move to Sacramento (but not Placer) County, Shasta, Butte, Glenn, Tehama,…hell, just about any place north of Sac. Shasta County Sheriff Bosenko was the lead plaintiff in the case against the newly enacted LA County mag ban ordinance, and these sheriffs are pro-2A.
Hat tip to Sheriff Jones Sacramento County. And he had may vote for as long as he’s in office.
The nation has had constitutional carry since 1789, right? So what re you calling for?
+1
Actually 15+1 IWB + 8+1 Ankle
Glock G19 and G43 goodness.
My ISIS stocking stuffers!!
+17 + 17
Now if I could get my employer to relax the “no weapons policy” I could actually follow the advice of the good officers for the 5/8ths of my life I’m there….
I have a better one for ya. My Companies CEO was previously a C-Level executive at a Firearms Manufacture. Guess what we can’t carry where I work. How’s that for irony.
Our company’s employee handbook states “no unlawful weapons on company property.” The CEO has clarified that if you have a ccw and are concealed, your weapon is lawful and A-OK.
It’s nice to work for a family business with a little common sense.
The owner of my company said that anytime he’s in the office at night he is carrying. He comes in the morning and stays until the evening, so, I would guess he is always carrying. Small companies are the best.
I have the same policy where I work. Good thing it is only a policy and not law.
^ this
Detroiter,
Does your employer have metal detectors at every entrance and armed security roving throughout their business complex? If not, consider keeping a semi-auto handgun in a discreet location, whether that is on your hip, inside a locked desk drawer, on top of a ceiling tile, in your lunch cooler, or in a briefcase.
And if you want to be absolutely certain that your handgun will not go “bang”, keep the chamber empty. I would never encourage anyone to carry a handgun with an empty chamber in any other circumstance. In this case, where you would have a handgun available for
terroristsworkplace spree killers, having an empty chamber will not significantly increase your risk of injury from workplace spree killers. Heck, maybe even store the handgun with an empty chamber AND without a magazine … and keep magazines on your person.5/8? I don’t believe that, that approaches slavery! You claim 100 hours a week?
It’s possible. I’d be ecstatic with only 100 right now.
Deep concealment in a backpack, not super accessible, but better than in the car…
I lived in Alameda County for many years and ran a business that required me to handle a good deal of money, but was unable to obtain a CCW. Moved over the hill to San Joaquin Co. and just received one. In ALCO, 200 private citizen CCW’s out of a population of over 1.5 million is a travesty, and a violation of our Second Amendment rights, period…
San Francisco has, as you no doubt know, ZERO civilian CCWs issued. In Marin County, both the Sheriff and the DA are rabidly anti-gun, with the Sheriff proudly refusing to issue except in rare cases (30 issued as of 2013, population 254,000), and the DA prosecuting anyone who dares use a gun, even when it was obviously in self-defense. To wit:
[June 19, 2015] “A Marin County judge dropped all charges against a 72-year-old doctor in a road rage shooting. The judge blasted Marin County prosecutor Ed Berberian for failing to show the grand jury evidence that would have helped Dr. James Simon’s case.
Simon walked out of Marin County Superior Court, not quite comprehending that his 11-month ordeal is over. He told I-Team Reporter Dan Noyes, “It hasn’t hit me yet. I’m obviously overjoyed and relieved, but it just hasn’t hit me yet.”
He and his wife were riding in their red Smart Car on Paradise Drive when they cut off retired mortgage broker Bill Osenton in his silver Mercedes. Osenton followed the couple to their house, and into their garage. Simon got his gun, fired a warning shot, and then hit Osenton twice in the stomach. He survived.
Dr. Simon called 911: “Hi, this is Dr. Simon. I had a man follow me into my garage, and I had to shoot him, and I’m sorry.”
At a preliminary hearing, a judge ruled it was self-defense and dismissed the case. But, District Attorney Ed Berberian took it to the grand jury which handed down an indictment. Friday, a second judge blasted Berberian for failing to show the grand jury evidence that would have been favorable to Simon, including dozens of support letters. (Copyright ©2015 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.)
That is not true sir and I’m going to call you a liar! It is not impossible to get a CCW in san francisco! Just ask Dianne Feinstein…. She was the last person in the city to get a CCW approved (some time back in the 80’s or 90’s) so I’m sure she has the most up to date info….. Or you can just carry in the city Michael Savage style.
Mark N.,
Sounds to me like the local people need to literally tar and feather District Attorney Ed Berberian.
I was sympathetic up until Smart Car.
Some things cross the line.
Well, to be fair the other car was a Mercedes, so he should be able to regain a bit of that lost sympathy.
“a second judge blasted Berberian for failing to show the grand jury evidence”
My question to all those judges out there; Why didn’t you throw that idiot prosecutor in JAIL for his actions?!?!?
Prosecutors have more immunity than almost anyone else in government.
They can lie, suborn witnesses, and repeatedly call grand juries against their “enemies” for political or private purposes, yet they are not to be held to account, under current law.
The laws that govern the privilege of being a CCDW permit holder? It’s not a privilege, it’s a right.
Good catch on that…
PS: There have been a couple of sherrif’s here in the Gunshine State of Florida that have posted facebook pages urging the same from their peps and citizen CWP holders.
Getting a lot of local press, and alot of “likes”.
You are correct and I think Sheriff Helmig should be called on to correct this – it sure looks to me like a non deliberate mistake in word choice, not the specific intent to deprive us of rights.
Sheriff Helmig should be applauded for his stance as contrast this with the below video out of New Jersey. which one of these servants of the people do you think understands the constitution?
That privilege remark of his leapt out of the screen at me, too. I skimmed the responses to see whether anyone else noticed and commented on it. I’m glad you did, but sorry that we got so far into the comments before anyone did.
By framing carrying as a privilege, he reveals that he still just doesn’t get it. The Sherrif is better than most other chief LEOs, but he still has room for improvement. Without instilling rights to replace privileges, then all it takes is replacing the Sherrif to deny you your rights.
Well it sounds great in theory. But I live in Cook Co,Illinois. I will NEVER get encouragement from Johnny Law -and I don’t need it.
I’d love to do so, and would if it weren’t a federal felony.
As an LEO I can tell you that the more armed citizens there are out there, the safer I feel. The overwhelming majority of my colleagues feel the same way. I do live in VA, so most of my co workers grew up shooting like I did, and most scoff at the idea of increased gun control.
You’ll find that the majority of anti gun police reside in states with the most restrictive gun legislation.
Agreed. The cc people I stop couldn’t be nicer and more willing to talk about their choice in firearms. Easy way to a warning and a friendly chat. I waste more video time talking guns than I do the reason for the stop.
Don’t agree on the restrictive state, as I’m in Illinois – Land of Stinkin’
I encouraged my father to get his cc license, which he did. He doesn’t carry all the time, but likes having the option so when he chooses. He liked my old duty weapon so I gave it to him (G23). He gave me $ to go get a new one so we have same weapon when together.
I don’t normally tell the cop who has pulled me over that I have a permit and am armed (neither the telling nor the permit is necessary in Colorado, whilst in a car, and outside of denver, neither is necessary outside the car either if open carrying), but one time it was unavoidable (there was a gun in the glove compartment with the registration and proof of insurance, and I wasn’t able to extract them while pulling over). The cop’s sole comment was “Oh, what kind?” and he ended up expressing approval of my choice. (CZs are obscure enough in the US that recognizing them even by name means one is probably a POTG.) A few miles further north and I would have been in Denver and probably treated a bit worse.
Keep allowing agents of government to replace the actual individual right with the notion of a privilege at your own peril. Just as Oz couldn’t bestow anything that the individual didn’t already possess, government isn’t doing you any favors by referring to your inalienable right to bear arms as some licensed privilege to be infringed upon by tyrants. Government can only confer privilege, whereas you individually already possess rights.
What we allow to be propagandized as within the purview of goverment today will be accepted as fact tomorrow. Haven’t you seen enough of this over generations yet? Don’t let such glaringly detrimental false statements go unchallenged. Wake the hell up… or not.
For the record, Mike Helmig is the Sheriff of Boone County, KENTUCKY. Not Ohio. We might be a lot of things in Boone County, but Ohio isn’t one of them.
I left my “No weapons allowed job” After we received our second violent threat. I only applied yo places with a policy manual that allowed me to carry. My current job’s policy is simple, “Employee must follow all state laws regarding the carrying of weapons.”
All well and good, except:
That is nothing more than an implicit reminder that if something requires state licensing in order to exercise, it is no longer a right, but has been reduced to a privilege.
+1
Sometimes a bit of news here just makes my day. How can we read such as this without a smile?
Great to see!!!. I do when I’m in the free state I live in…PA……but can’t in the totaly screwed up one I work in…MD.
Can you guys please do an auto-replace for San Bernardino instead of San Bernadino? That would be great.
I wonder if this LEO encouragement of armed “civilians” will be taken further.
During the Mau-Mau terror threat, British law had some strict rules about civilian gun possession.
IIRC, no British settler under the age of 13 was to be out of his home unless accompanied by someone 13 or older, who carried a firearm. Natives were forbidden guns, and if memory serves, a Kikuyu grandmother found to be in possession of 3 rounds of ammunition in a street sweep was executed on the spot.
It was reported that it became customary for colonial women who bought a new dress to receive an additional swatch of matching cloth. She would then paste that matching cloth over her holster.
We can only speculate on how bad Jihadist terror will get in this country, and what legal measures will be taken to combat it. At some point, the American people will firmly reject the pacifist, “cower in place” approach, currently dominating the Media, and shoot back.
YOU BETCHYA !
Recently I found myself in a hospital emergency room with my wife. All turned out well, thanks for asking. But as I sat there twiddling my thumbs during the typical insufferable wait, I found myself running through all of the possible bad guy scenarios and working out my response. Am I paranoid? Nutz? Or is this typical for those of us who carry? As an engineer, my mind is constantly working out all of the what ifs?
It is common for “Sheepdogs” to play the “what if” game. It is encouraged by instructors.
I am sure a similar statement will be soon forthcoming in my city of Seattle.
Comments are closed.