via Opinione
It's hard to believe that a trained police officer could do something like this, unless of course he'd had a history of poor behaviour with guns, in which case the one-strike-you're-out rule would have saved his life. But, of course we don't know that. So, assuming this was a one-off mistake, this sad story shows that one strike is sometimes too many, further confirming the need for One Strike You're Out.
"It's hard to believe that a trained police officer could do something like this..."
ReplyDeleteYet you and your ilk legislate to make police exempt from gun free zones, assault weapon bans, magazine bans, etc. as if their badges are magic talismans that make them immune to human behavior.
Simply following this one rule would have prevented this tragedy:
ReplyDeletehttp://orygunner.blogspot.com/2011/02/watch-where-youre-pointing-that-thing.html
...Orygunner...
He was a 16-year veteran of the police here in Eugene, Oregon.
ReplyDeleteI once met Sgt Webber, who, as part of the SWAT team, introduced me and my children to the weapons and equipment they use.
In addition to being a Sgt and SWAT, he was on vice-narcotics and had, as part of SWAT, been involved in at least one justified shooting of a suspect. This is a man who was highly trained, yet what killed him in the end was lack of respect for those four rules of firearms, and the thoughtlessness of transporting a loaded hunting rifle.
But accidents happen, even to the most highly-trained, and you can't always account for the actions of others around you who may be armed, too, who escaped harm. It's the hazard of being around firearms at all. Another reason I'm not a proponent of concealed carry or open carry.
My blog post on this accident:
http://newtrajectory.blogspot.com/2011/02/eugene-police-officer-accidently-and.html
. . . this sad story shows that one strike is sometimes too many, further confirming the need for One Strike You're Out.
ReplyDeleteUm . . . what? A situation in which your "One Strike" dipshittery wouldn't have helped--as even you admit--"further confirm[s] the need" for said dipshittery?
Maybe you should start pushing for "Zero Strikes and You're Out." If you're going to be a dipshit, why fuck around with half-measures?
You're a foul, disrespectful person Zorroy, to use such language.
ReplyDeleteZorroy, You're right that is a pretty convoluted circular kinda conclusion I made there.
ReplyDeleteMy idea, not very clearly drawn I admit, was that most people who make fatal mistakes with guns aren't one-time losers. I'm betting this guy's pulled a few tricks out of his hat in the past and lived to tell about them.
Let me ask you this, have you ever had a negligent discharge yourself? Maybe I've asked you that before, I don't remember. Of course you're free to decline answering, like I do. But, my point is that if you'd had one, don't you think people should be more careful around you knowing that you're capable of such stupidity?
Or, put another way, let's say you've got a dumb-shit brother-in-law who shot his big toe off once a couple years ago. Wouldn't you be a bit more cautious around him than around your other friends who'd never done something like that?
I doubt if you'll humor me with the direction I'm trying to go with these questions, but this is why I preach the one-strike-you're-out deal.
Let me ask you this, have you ever had a negligent discharge yourself?
ReplyDeleteNever have, although I don't claim to be 100% immune to such negligence. It could happen some day, in a moment of inattention. I'm very careful to avoid those, but nothing conveys 100% guarantees. I also have to acknowledge once taking a recoil spring plug right in the center of the forehead, when reassembling a 1911. Left a mark for a couple days. Boy did I feel silly. I don't know if that constitutes one of your "strikes," or not, but if simply dropping a gun qualifies, I can't imagine why losing control of the recoil spring/recoil spring plug would fare any better.
I do know that a moment's clumsiness or inattention is no grounds for the deprivation of Constitutionally guaranteed, fundamental human rights, and that anyone who dies in the act of trying to deprive such rights for said clumsiness will have gotten exactly what's coming to him.
Baldr, I admit to not bothering to go to the trouble to hide more than about 90% of my contempt for our gracious blog host (and about 99.9% of my contempt for his sage co-blogger). If the 10% I do allow to show (or 0.1%, in the other case) offends anyone, I cordially invite them to put their big boy pants on and get the fuck over it.
As for being "foul," my sincere apologies. I don't usually do this, but I'll make an exception, just for you, Baldr, and say this as politely as I can manage: Pretty please, with sugar on top, keep your fucking hooks off my Bill of Rights, sweetheart.
Baldr, Don't pay attention to Zorroy. His bark is worse than his bite, in fact I believe he harbors a secret admiration and respect for me. I think he finds in me a worthy adversary, of sorts. I've admitted feeling as much for him once when he dramatically swore off commenting here and I begged him to stay. He punished us with his absense for a while and then came back stronger than ever. Why else would he do that if not for those things I said.
ReplyDeleteBesides, I like a little cursing on my blog.
http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2009/09/03/news1.html
ReplyDeleteI knew Sgt Webber personally, he was the witnesses on my behalf in my trial a few months prior to his questionable death and was likely murdered and covered up to look like an accident as his payback for breaking the blue curtain. Webber was one of the foremost witnesses "against" the EPD in the 'Magana trial' - the one that paid nearly $6 mil to settle a lawsuit of EPD officers that were raping local women. (see link) also: it was odd that the scene of his "accident" EPD roped off the ENTIRE firing range from public or media instead of just the scene of the incident for several hours ~ and oddly, no photos were provided, and if you track the coverage you will notice the whole incident was quickly swept under the rug.
My trial was key and was going to expose a family connection between organized crime and the upper administration of the police Dept. Namely Sgt. John Umenhofer and his brother Walter aka: Kelly Umenofer; who ran illegal gambling operations. Their family owned and operated the Barons Den, a gun shop where the police did their firearms purchases and gun range - and as disturbing as it is, ran a white supremacy organization called the Three Sevens '777' from their Gun Shop (Neo-Nazi symbol Triskele) from their German heritage. ~ The most outrageous cover up was from the Judge in my trial who obstructed civil procedure trying to suppress all the evidence from public record that would have caused a media blitz. This judge in my case, as it turns out, was THE VERY SAME JUDGE in the Magana trial ~ and curtailed my entire case off record and behind closed doors in his chambers once he saw Webber walk into the room.
As you might guess, the crooks who were running the illegal gambling operation were never prosecuted, even when they had even hired a thug to break my legs to silence me, and even with all the evidence from the undercover investigations and recordings of the perps ~ all of it was swept under the rug. I was called in to give testimony to the FBI and lived my life in fear for years - I fully believe they (the corrupt cops & 777 members) killed officer Webber and staged it to look like an accident to silence him. As mentioned above and other news blogs at the time: why the hell would a 16+ yr Narcotics/SWAT team veteran who knew NOT to travel with loaded firearms in his vehicle, point the business end of a rifle at himself, let alone HOW? it wasn't an accident, period.
The FBI agents also admitted the Mexican Mafia flourishes here in Oregon, along with the drug cartels - but the fact that there is absolutely no Gambling Commission or oversight in this state for criminal gambling and racketeering operations, with absolutely NO enforcement, and the cartels operate with impunity. Look up how and why Washington state's Gaming Commission came into being sometime, (over 30 yrs ago) which happened after the felony prosecution of nearly 50 police officers and state reps for conspiracy and taking bribes + kickbacks. Judge Karsten Rasmussen is a part of the corruption that taints the judicial system ~ a judge, by his own word admitted: quote "nobody cares about the truth"
The link you provided is even older than this post of mine. Why now?
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