Originally Posted by
mjw16
This is a misleading statement. In addition to being better trained in firearm proficiency/marksmanship than most of the general public, they are also more familiar with: firearm handling, defensive tactics, practical firearm defense, use of force procedure/legality, how to de-escalate use of force situations, non-lethal defense tactics, etc. Just the mere fact that the initial thread has been so thoroughly discussed/considered, would make it a hard position to defend should an actual shooting occur and charges and or trial follow. I would never want to be on the receiving end of a prosecuter saying something like: "you mean to say that you intentionally rode through a dangerous area and willfully and intentionally brought a firearm and discharged it in a public area, resulting in the injury or death of another person or bystander even though you could have simply chosen another route and avoided the likeliehood of said encounter entirely"? Nope, I don't need to run around shooting people or getting into gun fights to prove that I have the "right" to own a firearm.
Um, no, they are not, as the poster stated. I grew up in a law enforcement family. I've shot with many police officers, and I can wholeheartedly agree with RugerBen. The vast majority of police officers only shoot when it's time for qualification. Most police officers are not firearms enthusiasts. My dad was a state trooper, and a firearms enthusiast---but he was into guns way before he became a cop. Studies have shown that armed citizens have a higher hit percentage in shootings than police officers do.
Now, you're incorrect in your assumption re
rosecution. If the poster lives in a state with a shall-issue CCW permit and shoots someone in defense of his life, he likely will not be charged---if it's a case of him just pedaling along and getting jumped. Your straw man argument about "being in the wrong place and looking for trouble" doesn't wash. Now, if he was in a bar and escalated a fight while carrying a firearm he would be in trouble.
Being in a shady neighborhood isn't "looking for trouble", either in the real world or in a legal sense. We don't all live in upper class suburbs. Some people live in rough places with rough people.