Who Guards the Guards: Police Guns Recovered
There is an update to our report that Harvey Police Department guns had been stolen from its shooting range. It has been reported by the local media in the Chicago area that Federal agents discovered “most” of the weapons that were stolen, with several being buried in the woods. Tipsters helped the police and federal agents recover the guns.
But we still question why the guns were left at that location, and what exactly “most” means?
Who Guards the Guards: Carmel Officer’s Guns Stolen
All too often we report on situations where a law enforcement officer’s guns were stolen, and in many cases it was a result of pure carelessness – such as a leaving a gun in a car, or worse a public restroom. We’re more concerned about a report from KSBW.com, which notes that a Carmel police officer had his guns stolen from his Salinas home. According to the report:
“Five guns, and the officer’s badge, were taken from the Carmel Police Department reserve officer’s home in the 1000 block of Fitzgerald Avenue on Wednesday. The guns that were stolen included two handguns, two rifles and a shotgun.”
This is truly disturbing when a police officer’s home is broken into, and we’re left wondering if he wasn’t targeted by gang members. But the point here is that no amount of gun laws, or gun bans, are going to keep criminals away from guns. If criminals want guns, we see now they’ll go so far as to break into the home of a police officer to get them!
Who Guards the Guards in South African?
South Africa has seen significant change in recent decades. While the nation’s racial equality has proven to allow more opportunities for all residents of the land at the tip of Africa, it has also sadly become a land that rivals the American Wild West or the Prohibition Era of gangsters. Crime is (in a word) everywhere. And despite gun bans, criminals easily get the goods. The Telegraph UK reports:
”A parliamentary committee heard that 2,944 police weapons were lost or stolen between January and September last year – more than in the whole of 2008, which was itself an increase on 2007″
And with missing guns, what does the police department do? Orders more guns:
“Dianne Kohler Barnard, the opposition Democratic Alliance shadow police minister, said that the state weapons manufacturer Armscor had recently ordered 4,000 replacement 9mm handguns made by the Italian manufacturer Beretta.”
This is yet another example that shoud serve as warnings to anyone who thinks buybacks and tougher laws will really keep guns out of criminal’s hands.
Who Guards the Guards: 78 Guns Missing From Kentucky Sheriff’s Office
Imagine what would happen if a law-abiding gun owner called the police and said, “I lost 78 guns.” Do you think this would make the news across the United States? Do you think the person would face felony charges? We think so, but yet when this happened to a sheriff’s office in Kentucky, it was barely a blip on the radar.
This followed an alleged burglary reports TheTimesTribune.com:
“The following list contains firearms that are unaccounted for following an examination of the evidence storage, written evidence logs, and documents pertaining to the release of property found at the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department following an alleged burglary which [sic] was reported on December 21, 2009.”
While the article suggests that not all the guns may have been stolen, it is still disturbing to think that criminals could have made off with all these firearms. It also should as a warning to anyone who believes that all illegal firearms begin from legal purchases!
Who Guards the Guards: Wheeling Police Change Policy after M-16 is Stolen
SWAT team members in Wheeling, West Virginia will have to head to the department to retrieve their weapons if they’re called in while off-duty. This change follows a recent theft of one of the department’s M-16 rifles from an off-duty officer’s car, reports the AP via PhilyBurbs.com.
Not only is this yet another high-powered weapon that is now on the street, but our faith in the police is once again shaken. This is just the latest example of a police officer’s gun being stolen, and it begs the question as to why any of these weapons were left in the vehicles? Is this just another case of bad judgment? So again, who guards the guards in this country?
