Saturday, November 26, 2016
Police and Guns
Why do police officers carry guns? The obvious answer to most people is to protect themselves and others from dangerous people they encounter while on the job. But is the purpose of the gun to kill a person or just injure them? So why did Officer Wilson shoot Michael Brown? Was he threatened by Brown's actions or was there another reason. I read an article on Huffington Post, that in the UK, New Zeland, and a few other countries, the police are unarmed. The crime rates in the UK are half of the crime rates in the US, does this really prove anything? This article has more information on armed police: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-koehler/should-the-police-be-arme_b_7083444.html
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Furthermore, for the purpose of the police, the gun can also just serve as a threat in order to maintain authority over criminals. While the UK crime rates are lower than those in America, this is not accounting for the difference in population size. Comparing crime rates between the US and UK proportionally the UK actually has a higher crime rate. Ultimately, a population can only remove guns from their police if guns are abolished in general as police must maintain a certain level of power and authority.
ReplyDeleteI feel like by them having guns, they feel more obligated to use them, even when there is no need for them. I agree that they shouldn't be allowed to carry guns for the safety of everyone.
ReplyDeleteI feel like by them having guns, they feel more obligated to use them, even when there is no need for them. I agree that they shouldn't be allowed to carry guns for the safety of everyone.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the argument may seem reasonable to disarm policemen when comparing to other countries you need to realize how hostile our culture is towards policemen and how much crime actually occurs in the United States compared to other countries such as New Zealand. It would be very dangerous for police to carry out their duties if you disarm them and would only result in lawlessness and many dead cops.
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