The Shooting Gallery: Police Violence MEGATHREAD

[Tamas]

To be fair having larger numbers in the US is inevitable. It's no excuse for the kind of shit they are pulling of course, but I would be scared shitless to be a policeman in the US, where it is  a matter of national pride to be armed to the teeth.

[garbon]

To be fair having larger numbers in the US is inevitable. It's no excuse for the kind of shit they are pulling of course, but I would be scared shitless to be a policeman in the US, where it is  a matter of national pride to be armed to the teeth.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/264932/percentage-americans-own-guns.aspx

[Tamas]

To be fair having larger numbers in the US is inevitable. It's no excuse for the kind of shit they are pulling of course, but I would be scared shitless to be a policeman in the US, where it is  a matter of national pride to be armed to the teeth.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/264932/percentage-americans-own-guns.aspx

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/812296/statistics-firearm-shotgun-certificates-england-wales-2018-2019-hosb0919.pdf

That's what, almost 1%?

[Iormlund]

And most of those will probably have long guns for hunting.

There are 3 million legally owned guns in Spain, and only 8500 of those are handguns in the hands of civilians.

[Tamas]

And most of those will probably have long guns for hunting.

There are 3 million legally owned guns in Spain, and only 8500 of those are handguns in the hands of civilians.

Yes indeed massive portion of those are shotguns.

[garbon]

To be fair having larger numbers in the US is inevitable. It's no excuse for the kind of shit they are pulling of course, but I would be scared shitless to be a policeman in the US, where it is  a matter of national pride to be armed to the teeth.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/264932/percentage-americans-own-guns.aspx

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/812296/statistics-firearm-shotgun-certificates-england-wales-2018-2019-hosb0919.pdf

That's what, almost 1%?

Okay?

[Tamas]

To be fair having larger numbers in the US is inevitable. It's no excuse for the kind of shit they are pulling of course, but I would be scared shitless to be a policeman in the US, where it is  a matter of national pride to be armed to the teeth.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/264932/percentage-americans-own-guns.aspx

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/812296/statistics-firearm-shotgun-certificates-england-wales-2018-2019-hosb0919.pdf

That's what, almost 1%?

Okay?

Fine, Americans don't have too many guns, it's fine.

[Syt]

[garbon]

To be fair having larger numbers in the US is inevitable. It's no excuse for the kind of shit they are pulling of course, but I would be scared shitless to be a policeman in the US, where it is  a matter of national pride to be armed to the teeth.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/264932/percentage-americans-own-guns.aspx

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/812296/statistics-firearm-shotgun-certificates-england-wales-2018-2019-hosb0919.pdf

That's what, almost 1%?

Okay?

Fine, Americans don't have too many guns, it's fine.

I don't think anyone has said such a ridiculous thing. Just noting that it isn't really a point of national pride to be armed to the teeth.

[Tamas]

To be fair having larger numbers in the US is inevitable. It's no excuse for the kind of shit they are pulling of course, but I would be scared shitless to be a policeman in the US, where it is  a matter of national pride to be armed to the teeth.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/264932/percentage-americans-own-guns.aspx

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/812296/statistics-firearm-shotgun-certificates-england-wales-2018-2019-hosb0919.pdf

That's what, almost 1%?

Okay?

Fine, Americans don't have too many guns, it's fine.

I don't think anyone has said such a ridiculous thing. Just noting that it isn't really a point of national pride to be armed to the teeth.

It does seem like it is for a lot of your countrymen.

[crazy canuck]

Not sure how to show the video

Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) Tweeted:
This is madness.

A young woman sitting in the street — in obvious distress.

A policeman kicks her in the face.

We're apparently not better than this... https://t.co/CntGgvtqbP

[jimmy olsen]

Buffalo cops are facing charges

https://abcnews.go.com/US/buffalo-police-officers-arrested-shoving-75-year-protester/story?id=71106787&;

[DGuller]

Does anyone here remember the days when human capital stock was the outrage?  Kind of puts things in perspective about what a real outrage is.

[fromtia]

What the actual solutions are to the challenge of reforming the police in the US are, I'm not sure and I honestly just don't know enough about it to offer any useful comment, but it seems to be coalescing around the following;

1. End the fire hose of military surplus from the pentagon to police departments and there seems to be a bipartisan bill in congress shaping up with that intent. That's been going on for about 25 years I think, and it's not controversial to say police aren't infantry doing counter insurgency and the militarization has to end.

2. Police Unions - certainly appears to be a big part of the problem. Union busting in the united states ought not be impossible given the history of union busting but there would have to be some pretty robust political will to start that process.

3. End qualified immunity - As I understand it this is another big one, this combined with the police unions provides the miscreants with their willingness to go around fucking people up.

4. Defunding - sounds terrible to suburban ears, but diverting funding to areas that that better serve communities seems like a good idea.

5. Ending Teh War on Drugs!

I say all this with good intentions I hope, and I am broadly in favor of having lots of well funded and well trained police in the community - especially in communities that have high crime. Being raised in a British Middle Class Milieu I'm broadly in favor of policing, but a very very different version of policing than what currently exists in most places in the US.

[DGuller]

I think there also has to be some acceptance that some of these things will trade lives for other goals.  I'm sure that if every cop drives around in full combat gear in armored vehicles, less of them will be killed in the line of duty than without those things, but cops coming home is not the one and only goal of policing.