Well, as a future LEO (currently a trainee LEO). I support both. THe 2nd Amendment is simple. "A RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS". And I think that civilians have a legal right to do that, not just LEOs.

And the issue with the LEO Safety Act is that some states don't have the same standards of training. Florida it self is one of those. The main issue is that some department only make their officers qualify once in their career. That is a Florida rule, as an officer, you only need to qualify with your service arm once. Now, some dpeartments have different rules. Like mine, you have to qualify with your service arm, back up, and shotgun every six months.

Also, some departments don't offer a form of ID that states that the officer has qualified. And that is part of the LEO Safety Act.

The National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Bill is different. It just says that every State in the Union needs to recognizes the CCW License. Just like how they need to recognize driver's licenses and marriage licenses.

My creds don't need to say I qualified. If I don't I get put on the bow and arrow squad with no weapon. If creds are current then I've qualified to my agencies standards IMO that should be good enough. And I'm not gonna roust a brother LEO , just because some politician says so.

I qual duty weapon, scattergun, off duty and backup once a quarter and assigned SOT weapons once a quarter due to my current assignment. The rest of my agency quals every six months and most other LEA's in my area are the same.

I don't argue the fact that CCW licsenses should be recognized nationwide, but I'm more concerned about the Coppers getting theirs first.

Well, the LEO one is in effect. It is now down to the State Criminal Justrice Standards. Florida has a big problem on that one.

The Florida Criminal Justice Standards state that an officer need to qual once and only once for his/her entire career. Now, as I stated. Homestead PD makes their officer qual every six months with Duty, BUG, Shotgun, and Carbine. But they don't give you any form of ID that states when you qualed.

THAT IS THE MAIN PROBLEM WITH THE LEO SAFETY ACT. For it do go in effect for a LEO. He/she needs to have on his/her persons that he/she qualed within the last year with the current weapon the he/she is carrying. And most Departments don't do that. Mine doesn't nor do any either department that I am aware of.

If the there is a National CCW. BAM, my problem is finished. I can carry nation wide without any problem. And I have no enorcement power when I'm out of my juridistion anyways. THe LEO Safety Act is the same thing as the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Bill. It allows a LEO to carry nationwide.

Why should LEOs be favored over civilians? I see that as a way of stripping my rights and the rights of others. I also believe that every LEO should also have a CCW.

Originally Posted by 5.56X45mm

Why should LEOs be favored over civilians? I see that as a way of stripping my rights and the rights of others. I also believe that every LEO should also have a CCW.

Well, most cops are civilians, but I agree that they shouldn't be favored over the average citizen. Once they are retired, they aren't cops anymore anyway. I do think, though, that if they want a CCW (LE officers), they should be required to go through the process like everyone else.

Just because someone is a cop, doesn't mean I automatically trust him to shoot straight. I put most cops into the same categories as everyone else, those that can't shoot and those that can. I've found more that can't than I have that can. It's really surprising how many departments out there that let their officers carry and don't have higher qualification standards.

This is why I think all states should develope a somewhat standard qualfication requirement for all CCW permits, esp if they want them nationally recognized, be you a cop, former cop, or a ditch digger.

I believe in the 2nd Amendment, but I dont believe the 2nd Amendment was a greenlight for us to do anything we want. The Constitution was written at a very different time when people were very different and typhus was far more deadly than any firearm. I must admit I sometimes have a hardtime understanding the NRA logic.

Case in point,

When I was 15 my daddy took us all to a weekend trip to Washington DC. While my dad was backing out of a parking meter he accidentily (and very slightly) bumps the van behind him. The jerk behind him honks very loudly. Both the other driver and my father gets out, my father says to the effect "come on, I barely touched you" the other guy reponds by pulling out a handgun out of his waist and points it at my father. My father, unarmed, simply gets back into the car and drives off.

Now Im all for hunters, target shooters, home protection, etc. I can even accept that certain very rural areas or dangerous occupations might require a weapon on the person.

But with so many morons in the world, does anyone really think its a good idea to let them carry guns around?

A big problem with being a former or off duty policeman is the people they deal with every day who will stalk and "settle a score" with them. If it is known that the officer is packing, the punks will think twice about pulling a knife across his face or worse.

Just because someone is a cop, doesn't mean I automatically trust him to shoot straight. I put most cops into the same categories as everyone else, those that can't shoot and those that can. I've found more that can't than I have that can. It's really surprising how many departments out there that let their officers carry and don't have higher qualification standards.

Oh man, ive shot with some of the local cops. If im ever in a hostage situation in a hostage situation i can just kiss my ass good bye cause they cant shoot for crap.

Civilians have the legal right to varry for personal protection.

Case in point, you and your loved one are walking out of a movie theater. In the parking lot, you are approched by a person. He pulls out a kife and demand your wallet and your loved one's purse.

What do you do? If you carry, you can defend yourself. And if you don't, pray that the scumbag just takes the wallet and purse and doesn't stab you, rape your loved one and than kills her.

If that happened to me, I'd pull out my Kel-Tec P32. It's a little semi-auto that I carry in my back pocket. He wants my wallet. He'll get a fright of his life. Will I shoot, more than likely no. Why, because if he doesn't attack me or my loved one. I won't shoot. Now if he does. Self Defense.

I and everyone else should have the legal right to carry and protect themselves anywhere in the United States of America. My legal right to defend myself should not be limited too the State that I live in.

The 2nd Amendment isn't about Duck Hunting and Target Shooting folks. It's about the legal right to bear arms period. Nothing more nothing less. It doesn't state that the 2nd Amendment limits your legal right to self defense and that bearing arms is about hunting and target shooting only.

Case in point, you and your loved one are walking out of a movie theater. In the parking lot, you are approched by a person. He pulls out a kife and demand your wallet and your loved one's purse.

But aren't you afraid of the following scenario? The criminal calculates that you are packing and knows not to pull a knife. He draws a gun to start off with. All of a sudden you are staring down a barrel and not just a knife. The risque of things going wrong just multiplied by a lot.

The next day you see him walking about. You call the cops and say "he robbed me and he is carrying a gun". You might not be able to prove point one and he might carry a permit. He'll continu his path, with a loaded gun, looking for a new victim and there's nothing you can do about it.

Originally Posted by Ted

But aren't you afraid of the following scenario? The criminal calculates that you are packing and knows not to pull a knife. He draws a gun to start off with. All of a sudden you are staring down a barrel and not just a knife. The risque of things going wrong just multiplied by a lot.

The next day you see him walking about. You call the cops and say "he robbed me and he is carrying a gun". You might not be able to prove point one and he might carry a permit. He'll continu his path, with a loaded gun, looking for a new victim and there's nothing you can do about it.

There's the chance of that scenario but not enough to make me leave my .38 special with wad cutters at home. Some years back, I think this happened in Killeen, Tx, a guy went nuts and rammed his truck through the front glass, then slowly got out and went from table to table shooting each person he came to. There is a Lady who made it out alive but her parents didn't. The bad part is she had a permit and was a damn good shot with her pistol but she had left it at home. She had to watch the guy go around the room and murder people as he eventually got to her table and killed her parents. She now makes speeches about how not to let someone put you in her position. If only someone had a gun that day, a lot of people would be alive today.