22 Aug 03

More Rifle comments from a LEO friend in the Midwest:

"W purchased Ruger Mini-14s last year and put them in all the cars. They 'feature' Ruger's awful factory folding stock. We have them in racks in the cab, but we've never trained to deploy them.

We just had a murder-suicide locally that occurred in the early afternoon. All three of our beat cars responded. Our guys exited and found positions of cover as they set up a perimeter. Suddenly, it occurred to one of them that he had a rifle back in the car and that it might be useful. He went back to get it. Neither of the other two officers even remembered the rifles until the situation was over.

The fact that we had never practiced taking the guns in and out of the cars was painfully obvious, and it is therefore no wonder that it never occurred to anybody to actually take the rifle along on the call.

The lesson here is that, at the moment of truth, it is too late to practice!"

From a friend in South Africa:

"I do not allow collapsible stocks, only fold-ups. Stock is either extended fully, or not at all. Agents are taught to use their rifles with stocks deployed unless maneuverability is an issue, such as in a vehicle. A limited number of my rifles have been fitted with electronic sights, but they are not first-line weapons. Iron sights remain on all rifles. Although, like you, we have found some electronic sights to be of high quality, my experience is that Murphy's law creeps in when you expect it the least, and I am therefore not prepared to gamble with them. Our agents are involved in active shootings every day. We can't afford to play games over here!

In the same vein I have a problem with carrying handles. Several years ago, while in the military, I ordered my troops to tape down the carry handles of their FN-FALs (later, the R4), as I found that carrying such weapons by the handles prevented rapid deployment. We were in contact more or less continuously, and I saw soldiers get shot, because they were not quick enough in shouldering their rifles. We learned fast!"

Comment: Let us all learn from the bitter experiences of these two courageous warriors on opposite sides of the globe, so we don't have to get our people hurt learning what they already know.

/John