Why Do Cops Have Guns?

A couple of nights ago, a lone sheriff's deputy was shot and killed in a neighboring county by illegal "immigrants". She had made a felony stop (unrelated to the citizenship of the felons) and was killed before she could even get her pistol out of her holster. Today's news included a related story discussing the long time it can take for backup to arrive. The story focuses on the very long delays a rural cop can expect, but even a few seconds can be too long. Most violent crimes are over in an instant.

If, as the story explains, a cop can expect a long delay before backup arrives, then surely a citizen should also be prepared for the possibility of a long delay before a law enforcement officer shows up in a time of need. That is not to say that our local and state law enforcement agencies don't do a good job -- they do. But they can't be everywhere all the time. It is a fact that they often arrive after the violence is over and all they can do is draw chalk outlines, take pictures, file reports, and investigate the crime.

The courts have consistently ruled that the police have no obligation to protect individuals. For example, in the case of Castle Rock v. Gonzales, the US Supreme Court found that Jessica Gonzales did not have a constitutional right to police protection even in the presence of a restraining order. By a vote of 7-to-2, the Supreme Court ruled that Gonzales has no right to sue her local police department for failing to protect her and her children from her estranged husband.

Therefore, it is perfectly reasonable for citizens, like cops, to have the best tool available for self-defense (a gun) so he can take care of himself until the police arrive. Cops don't carry guns so they can shoot criminals. They carry guns to protect themselves. The same purpose applies to citizens.

Recommended reading:

Dial 911 And Die

The following video clip shows why police response is sometimes slow -- the system is sometimes jammed up by idiots unnecessarily using up our emergency services: