File under only police are competent to have handguns

If this surprises you, you have not watch the TV show entitled "The Academy."

This man was lucky. If not for the low standards and lack of adequate training for the deputy this man might have been injured.

I usually refrain making anti LEO comments, but this is sad. 8 innocent individuals could be dead right now.

Did you see this one also:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gDlj9PQ_SUPnbNZK5R3daIjLftXwD9IH609O0?docId=D9IH609O0

Short course from this and other sources: Two guys rob Burger King in P.R. (and get away). Many cops are standing around while witness is being interviewed. Rookie cop arrives on scene, mistakes witness for suspect and points gun at him. Some other cop NDs getting out of his car, and several police officers start shooting at...nothing, apparently. Rookie shoots witness in head, now faces murder charge. Robbers still on loose.

Personal experience;

My friends and I were in the local pistol range awaiting our time on the line. Three young women came up to us: all three were cadets preparing for their final qualification shoot. Two of them began pumping my friends for advice on how to clean their own firearms. Seems in all their instruction, there was no session on even doing a field strip or how to clear a malfunction.

The third cadet however took the cake. She had the school required pistol, a specific model purchased in bulk. She was beside herself over the fact that no matter how much she practiced she was always hitting to the left of the target. When we looked at her gun we discovered her rear sight was offset to the left (factory flaw). No one, not even her instructor, had seen it. We told her to take it to the armorer (if they had one) and get it fixed.

Thirty years ago California exported young men to Police departments because then we had a gun culture and young men knew about firearms before they even entered the academy. Now we import people from the mid-west and central states because our present cadets can't hit the broadside of a barn. Whats changed, our gun laws and gun ownership policies

So James, is the point of your post that cops don't know much about guns, or women don't?

A QUESTION NOT ASKED... so what did the eight bullets fired from the deputy's gun hit - in West Hollywood???

I think his point is that the education and training in this particular academy is abysmal.

I live elsewhere and can honestly say that our county mounties are VERY well trained. PHEW.

Another reason I would rather carry and protect myself. Some LEO's are as likely to hit me as they are the perp...if they can hit anything.

Hopefully the deputy who fired his weapon is getting a remedial course in threat recognition and firearms skills. I suspect he is getting laughed at by some at his place of work, and deserves it.

I applied for a job as an armed security guard. Think armored car. At the beginning of the firearms qualification, the instructor told me what was needed(double tap) and how to use the speed loaders. The gun I think was a Smith & Wesson. I was given a loaded revolver, and six speed loaders. At the end, even though I had missed the target completely a few times, the instructor told me that I did better than 90% of the State police officers that he had tested.

Since then, I have never thought highly of the marksmanship of police officers.

And don't forget the case in Seattle a few years ago where they were chasing a stolen police car and two cops thought that the other was the stolen car.

They fired 20 shots at close range and no one was hit.

We all know that hitting your target is never as easy as it looks on TV. I give LEOs a lot of latitude when it comes to marksmanship. Not a lot of time is available in initial training and many do not shoot anymore than they need to stay certified.

With that said, I don't have a lot of patience for LEOs who believe that only LEOs are professional enough to carry guns. (I think you know what I mean) Can anyone say ATF? Or Youtube?