Originally Posted by
sgtdraino
What year was this? Law enforcement as a field has become more and more structured, with more and more oversight by state and federal goverment. More and more training is required, without which certifications get yanked, and departments get shut down. Besides which:
"Any LEO," you say. That is a really big generalization that is not even close to the truth. Perhaps you have a personal beef with officers? Sure, it's true that there are some idiots in any field. That goes for law enforcement, and it certainly goes for the armed forces as well. But by and large, I believe most are very competant. Being a recent combat vet does not automatically mean someone is cut out for law enforcement. My best buddy in the academy was an ex-marine with combat experience, who harbored a secret fear that once he was an officer, going into a potentially dangerous call his Marine training would override his cop training, and he would just start shooting anything that looked remotely threatening.
Officers are trained to use firearms in a law enforcement setting, maintaining awareness that innocent civilians are around, and that bullets can go through things. A weapon such as an M-16 is just another kind of firearm capable of throwing bullets farther, and maybe a little bit faster. It is not a magic wand that immediately turns a cop into an idiot. It really isn't rocket science. In point of fact, many departments are currently equipped with weapons like these now. Have they yet managed to "kill or wound half the population?"
In fact, can you come up with even a single instance of an innocent civilian being accidentally shot by cops armed with such a weapon?
