Clacton - off-duty police officer shot dead
Discussion
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Makes you wonder doesn't it. I'm only passing on what someone at work told me today as they read it on the bbc news website. Don't think anyone really knows for sure but bloody hell! I get peed off with people parking outside my drive regularly just because, same as everyone else I guess, it's "my patch". Not worth the loss of anyone's life though is it. Saddening really and can't help but feel for the families involved. All of them. Before we all go off on one, let's establish a few facts shall we?
1. You can't believe what you read in the 'Daily Wail'
2. Handguns are illegal to own in this country (with a few very strict exceptions)
3. We don't actually know, from any report I've seen, what the gun was (pistol, revolver, converted blank-firer, 2nd WW trophy, etc. etc.) so we can't say yet where it may have come from or how he got hold of it.
4. Even if he had access to a 'gun club', that would not allow him access to any guns as almost no gun clubs keep firearms within their premises and if they do the security is very tight indeed.
5. The vast majority (by a long way) of gun crime in this country is carried out by criminals using illegal handguns. There are many more shootings and deaths happening in places like Manchester and London almost on a daily basis. This one is headline news because a Policeman was shot. I'm by no means trying to trivialise that, i'm just saying that crime using illegally held handguns is probably a lot more common than a lot of people think and has nothing to do with gun clubs or shooting sports.
1. You can't believe what you read in the 'Daily Wail'
2. Handguns are illegal to own in this country (with a few very strict exceptions)
3. We don't actually know, from any report I've seen, what the gun was (pistol, revolver, converted blank-firer, 2nd WW trophy, etc. etc.) so we can't say yet where it may have come from or how he got hold of it.
4. Even if he had access to a 'gun club', that would not allow him access to any guns as almost no gun clubs keep firearms within their premises and if they do the security is very tight indeed.
5. The vast majority (by a long way) of gun crime in this country is carried out by criminals using illegal handguns. There are many more shootings and deaths happening in places like Manchester and London almost on a daily basis. This one is headline news because a Policeman was shot. I'm by no means trying to trivialise that, i'm just saying that crime using illegally held handguns is probably a lot more common than a lot of people think and has nothing to do with gun clubs or shooting sports.
XCP said:
What difference does it make? If it was stolen or otherwise taken, it was criminally held from there on in.
The one would mean there was a failing of legally held guns and the other would mean the debate would be about illegally held guns. Were it found there were failings in legally held guns it would open a can of worms probably restricting legitimate gun ownership/use with little if any affect on gun crime (other than potentially criminalising previously legal activity).If it is found it was an illegal firearm held criminally then tightening gun laws on legally held firearms would not have prevented the case in the first place.
I'm not taking a moral position. I'm taking the position that if he stole/acquired a previously legally held weapon then justifiably gun control could have prevented the acquisition. Thus it is possible/probable legislators would look into even further restrictions on firearms ownership/use. If he got the gun from criminals then looking at restricting legal ownership and use would be ineffective in preventing a repeat performance of its type.
Not all guns currently held criminally were once held legally.
Not all guns currently held criminally were once held legally.
JMGS4 said:
The shot officer was called Dibbel - hopefully not OUR Dibble!!!
Fortunately not.However, in the unlikely event I do get killed/die on duty, my family have strict instructions to release a prepared statement via a trusted solicitor, NOT engage with the media and NOT have a "Police" funeral. There aren't many bosses I'd want there, and definitely no politicians. If that all sounds rather theatrical its exactly because of the empty sound bites from the likes of David Cameron, Blair Gibbs and Nick Herbert.
I don't believe they mean the words they say and their hypocrisy sickens me. They make these comments merely to be seen to be be doing/saying the right thing and for political gain, not because they believe them. They should be f
king ashamed of themselves.It's much the same when politicians honour service men and women killed in action. They should keep their mouths shut, IMHO.
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