When Fort Worth Police Chief Jeffrey Halstead visited Capitol Hill last week to push for tighter gun control measures, he had some unwanted help from a felon back in Texas, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports:
At 5 p.m. Tuesday, Halstead was meeting with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in Washington, D.C., to discuss gun control concerns of the Major Cities Chiefs Association…This should serve as a compelling illustration of why our country needs tighter gun control laws. But then, so should the murder of 20 elementary schoolers by a maniac with an assault rifle—and we all know how far that has gone to sway people like Cornyn.
At that time, his concerns were being played out at a Haltom City auto shop, where one of his officers and personal friend—21-year veteran John Bell—was shot [in the head] by a convicted felon being pursued by Haltom City police.
If anybody can change the minds of Republican senators, however, it's probably somebody like Halstead, who represents a "cowboy town" in what's arguably the most pro-gun state in America. "We almost see every week where we have officers being ambushed by people who have no right to possess those weapons," Halstead told the Star-Telegram.
Halstead's Major City Chiefs Association is part of a coalition of nine national police organizations that supports a ban on semiautomatic assault rifles and high-capacity magazines and advocates expanded background checks.
Yeah, that'll work in Texas...
ReplyDeleteLet's recall that chiefs of police are political appointees, while sheriffs are elected. Note which group supports gun control and while supports gun rights.
ReplyDeleteThat's my argument, Greg. Because Sheriffs are elected many of them in gun friendly states are towing the company line.
DeleteHuh? Sheriffs are elected, so they have to pay attention to public opinion. Chiefs of police typically are appointed, so they do what their bosses tell them. It's a sign that gun control is supported by politicians, but not by the people.
DeleteA convicted felon had a gun? But I thought that was against the law and therefore it would not happen right?
ReplyDeleteOver the years I've spoken with a lot of law enforcement officers (LEOs) across the nation. My experience is that while chiefs and organizations often tend toward support for greater gun control, most of the individual officers with whom I've spoken, those men and women who are out on the streets doing the jobs for which they are so often grossly underpaid, do not.
ReplyDeleteAnd, while that bastion of journalistic excellence that is Mother Jones would have us believe that an AR-15 is an assault rifle, the banning of which would prevent horrors like the one in CT, LEOs with whom I've spoken know otherwise.
Where exactly are you meeting all these like-minded individual police officers all across the nation?
DeleteWell, lets see. I've had these conversations in Oregon, California, Arizona, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado. The areas ranged from small towns to some of the largest metro areas in the nation. As to how I had the conversations, I just went out and met people. Public meetings, service organizations, neighborhood block parties...the list just goes on and on. The number of people with whom you can speak is limited only by your willingness to go to where the people are and listen to them more than you talk.
ReplyDelete