JSO To Be Armed With Automatic Weapons, Tasers

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville Sheriff's officers say the city's criminals are so heavily armed that they must intensify their own defenses.

Eyewitness News has learned that every officer will now have access to an automatic AR-15 and will be armed with a taser.

Such weapons are generally found in the military, and not on the streets. But police site several recent crimes that have made them reconsider their own protection.

Police cite the chilling image of a gunman pointing an automatic weapon at a woman during a recent bank robbery, and Clay County deputies say a mass murder suspect used a semi-automatic weapon to kill four people over the weekend.http://www.news4jax.com/news/3349973/detail.html

It uses the terms "automatic" and "semi-automatic" to describe the weapons that are going to be issues. Those terms are mutually exclusive, and the difference between automatic and semi-automatic has great significance both functionally and legally. Semi-automatic firearms fire one and only one round of ammunition each time the trigger is pulled. Any firearm that fires two or more rounds per trigger pull is legally considered a "machinegun" or automatic firearm.

See http://www.atf.gov/firearms/nfa/index.htm for information on automatic firearms.

If the police need them to defend themselves from criminals shouldn't I be able to have the same thing?

Of course you should be able to defend yourself against the criminals. And of course you should be able to acquire the tools necessary.

Enjoy the Turtle Wax and the home game.

You mean you're in favor of victim disarmament!

Well, perhaps if you would actually make substantial comments instead of petty insults and ad hominem attacks these silly misunderstandings could be avoided.

kiss kiss

that's all he knows

New Jersey is one of those "progressive" states where those in power believe that progress means ever-increasing restrictions on personal liberty. Same with mine (California).

I do own some AR-15 type rifles. Er, DID, before I dumped all my guns in the ocean. I acquired them before January 1, 2000 and had to register them as "assault weapons" in order to have the "privilege" of keeping them. It's insulting, inconvenient, and hasn't done anything to help public safety.

Good thing you threw your guns in the ocean, slack.

Evidently, they haven't done any more or less damage since their disposal than they did before. So what's the difference to you?

Oh, yeah... I forgot. You believe a disarmed victim is morally superior to an armed survivor.

Responding to a few domestic calls.
Responding to a few homicides.
Responding to a few fight in progress calls.
Responding to a few burglary in progress calls.
Responding to a few robbery in progress calls.
And the list goes on.
Just do 1 or 2 of those and your argument would have weight. Keep in mind the average day for a officer might involve 2 or 3 of the above. When your willing to go and risk your life for the protection of the people in your community, we'll talk about you and your needs.

and retraining....as well as the requirement to document one's actions?

What if I'm equally, or more, trained than the cops? Can I then have one? Please?

That one sure trips up a lot of people.

that screen out the "easygoing" candidates in favor of the aggressive "alpha male/female" candidates who don't like their authority questioned?

But thats OK.

You can have just about anything including machineguns, sound supressors, etc. Just move to a state with a less fascist government. All it takes is $200 for the tax stamp and the patience to wade through a ton of federal paperwork.

If you incorporate, it greatly simplifies the process and you don't have to carry your tax stamp around with the gun.

I can own a fully automatic assault weapon. I imagine that pisses off quite a few people. Imagine how pissed off Bush & Co. are that the citizens of Iraq are so well armed. Makes it kind of hard to "liberate" a country that doesn't necessarily want to be liberated, eh?

It's not about crime, it's not about safety, it's about CONTROL. The government doesn't want an armed citizenry for exactly the reason we're seeing in Iraq. Too many armed citizens makes it damned hard to forcibly impose the will of the government.

"It's not about crime, it's not about safety, it's about CONTROL. The government doesn't want an armed citizenry for exactly the reason we're seeing in Iraq. Too many armed citizens makes it damned hard to forcibly impose the will of the government."


EXACTLY right. And, since so many morons have elected officials who believe they're ABOVE us common folk, the believe they have not only a right, but an obligation, to impose their will on the rest of us!

That's why FBI snipers get promoted after shooting unarmed women in the head while they're holding their infants in their arms.

Makes you feel all warm and snuggly, does it not, to know that such a government is here to look out for you?

"years of training"
I love a good laugh as much as anyone but that one is too absurd to even be funny. The vast majority of cops SUCK when it comes to competency with a weapon. Why do you think they have so many accidental shootings and neglegent discharges?

Yes, I've run into a few LEO's who are competent gunmen. Some of those were superb. But the average officer never even draws his weapon unless it's for his yearly qualification and he/she BARELY passes that! Every now and then I see them at the range now and again because their qualifications are coming up and their scared they're not going to pass. So they come out there and try to make up for years of neglect in one evening's practice.

I was at a range not long ago and the place was packed with cops, shooting their quals. The targets looked like they'd been shot with shotguns at 75 yards - Holes all over the damned things. And these people were only required to stand there, flat-footed and poke holes in paper. No movement, no use of cover and/or concealment, no firing from weak positions, no weak-hand shooting... Certainly no reloads (either one or two handed). Nothing that might tax their non-existant skill sets. These people suck so bad it's downright scary!

I don't know where people come up with this idead that just because someone has a piece of tin pinned on their shirt that they're a consummate gunman. Must be too many damned movies where the bad guys shoot a thousand rounds but the cop-hero pulls out his pistol and shoots the bad guy off the top of the water tower at 225 yards.

A cop is just someone doing a job, just like anyone else. Just because he/she carries a gun doesn't mean they have to really know how to use it. Look at all the people who use computers EVERY SINGLE DAY but don't know the first thing about them. Cops are no different.


Except for that self-richous delusion of godhood.

Learning when to shot is hard.

How much/often/well do YOU shoot?
How many people have you taught and what have you taught them?
How much of your own time and money have you spent on training?
How many training opportunities have you availed yourself of in the past 12 months?



I feel like I'm asking the Amish for advice on how to fix my car.

I hesitiate to answer questions like this because people always take it the wrong way, but:

I train at least twice a year with one of the top small weapons schools in the country/world.

I shoot combat pistol competitions weekly.

I train others.

I've been to Storm Mountain twice in recent years and done well in their matches.

last 8 years as sheriff, would have been longer had i not done 8 yrs as county judge. Now I'm officially retired.

And I'd thought I'd already made the point clear...

Simply going to work as a LEO (even the head LEO) does not make one a gunman or a warrior. I've met lots of people with shiny pieces of tin that I refuse to stand next to on the range because they're just fucking UNSAFE with their weapons. God forbid they should ever be called upon to use the damned thing.

They tend to make stupid decisions and put innocent people in danger.

Your statement is an insult to those of us who strive for excellence in our chosen fields. You don't want such people around because they make you uncomfortable but when you call one to get your ass out of a crack then he better be Johnny-on-the-spot with your salvation, right?

I know and work with many competent gunmen. A few of them are cops. All of them are level headed and intelligent.

Stupidity is not conducive to being a good gunman or a good warrior.

"A good gunman can be defined as one who uses his superior judgement to avoid situations that would require the use of his superior skills."

But every now and then, good people are thrown into bad situations. You know as well as I do that most fellony arrests are made as a direct result of traffic stops. How many training videos have you seen in which the cop gets shot because he's too slow getting his weapon on target or can't place the rounds on target? No, I guess you're right - Better the cop get shot than you would have to put up with being uncomfortable around people.

You don't want such people around because they make you uncomfortable but when you call one to get your ass out of a crack then he better be Johnny-on-the-spot with your salvation, right?

Actually I don't want them around because they are a liability.

Would that I could be the one thay call to come save your bacon.

.

is that you had some experience making up the law as you went along.


I understand now.

Don't I have the right to defend myself against heavily armed criminals if they come after me?

Similar to the AR-15 but does not accept detachable magazines. You load it by breaking the action open and filling the internal box magazine from a 10-round stripper clip.



Because it doesn't take detachable magazines it doesn't qualify as an "assault weapon" under federal law, therefore (in California, not sure about NJ) you can configure it with a collapsible stock and standard military-type upper receiver with the bayonet lug and NATO standard flash hider.

http://www.gogogadgets.net/

Please check with someone familiar with NJ law.

Pretty damned clever, actually. You get all the functionality without any of the legal hassles.

having to break your rifle open to reload is just plain stupid.


Buy a M-1 Garand and be done with it. (The tanker models are rare but very, very nice.)

They've got plenty of surplus M-1s, 1903 Springfields, and other items for sale at reasonable prices.

http://www.odcmp.com/

You're right. I have no idea if they are select-fire or semi-automatic only. I suspect the reporter had no clue either.

hell, they'd drive around army tanks if they could get away with it

You're welcome.

its a poster from a movie series called Dominion Tank Police

The site may not allow external links to its graphics.

anyone who has read the manga/seen the movies will associate this with the horror it truly is, tank cops

never mind

of LEO's haveing access to fully automatic weapons is nothing new.

Just over 5 years ago, I was working third shift at a shop in fridley MN. The shift supervisors car got broken into, so he called the police. A unit showed up, and low and behold, there was an HK MP-5 locked in the center of the cruiser in the front seat - where shotguns are commonly seen. Now, to be fair, I did not get a very close look, but he claimed that it was fully automatic. I have no reason to disbelieve him.