Often, just after a cop has just been callously murdered by some criminal with a gun, some people ask me how it is that I, as a brother in blue, can be such a strong advocate of the second amendment.
This piece was originally written on January 22, 2019 after Sacramento Police Officer Tara O’Sullivan was murdered while attempting to perform a civil standby at a residence. It has been edited slightly, removing some harsh language directed at the murderer, in order to make it more appropriate for all audiences.
I have recently been in the very shoes that many Sacramento Police officers now find themselves, again: a coworker murdered by a dirtbag with a gun.
In fact, I have sadly been in those shoes multiple times in recent years, so I understand just how emotional a time like this is. My heart breaks for my brothers and sisters at Sac PD, and for all those who mourn the loss of Officer Tara O’Sullivan.
Sadly, it is at times like this that conniving liberal politicians, leftist organizations and the dozens of anti-gun groups pounce and draw attention to the incident. They almost always use images of both the murdered cop and all of the grieving law enforcement officers as props in their attack on the second amendment, one of the constitutionally guaranteed rights of all Americans, and they do so under the guise of wanting to protect the cops.
Well, most of us are sick of being their scapegoats, and what follows is why I, and many other cops, ardently support the second amendment.
Criminals
I look at the worthless excuse for a human being who killed Sacramento Police Officer Tara O’Sullivan and I know that long before he fired the first shot at her and the other cops on scene, he had violated many laws. He was, or should have been based on his misdemeanor domestic violence conviction, a prohibited person who could not legally own, let alone posses a firearm. Based on the photos provided by Sac PD in their press release, it is plainly visible that two of the firearms he used are illegal in California for anyone to have, let alone someone who cannot legally posses any firearm. He had a long history of violent, criminal behavior, but here he was, out on the streets continuing that violent behavior.
In fact, it was his violent behavior that prompted his girlfriend to call the cops for help that day, because she feared what he would do to her if she went to the home alone to retrieve her property.
As cops, all cops, even those few who do support gun control, we all know the following statement to be true: Criminals do not obey the law.
Any criminal intent on getting a gun, can and will get a gun. For that matter, they will get any gun they want, up to and including full-auto guns, if they want it bad enough.
Gun control laws do absolutely NOTHING to prevent criminals from getting guns, because criminals do not get guns through legal means. During my 22 year career, I encountered exactly two (2) people who had legally purchased gun and later used that gun to commit a crime. One of those two people purchased his gun specifically to commit his crime. He paid for it, waited the mandatory 10 day “cooling off” period, picked up his gun and drove straight to the crime scene where he shot his wife and then killed himself.
That criminals obtain their guns through illegal means is not just my opinion based on 22 years of anecdotal evidence though. There are actually several studies confirming this as fact.
Politicians & Anti-gun Organizations
The same anti-gun liberals who “never let a good crisis go to waste” (Rahm Emanuel) jump on these heart wrenching scenes to try and capture that emotion in order to push their anti-gun agenda. Very few things motivate people like raw emotion, and those politicians know it, and they use that.
Those same liberal politicians who are continually trying to outlaw firearms are the very same individuals responsible for the suspect that killed Officer O’Sullivan being on the street. In fact, he and thousands of others like him are on the streets as a direct result of those liberal politicians. They have been constantly decriminalizing serious crimes, including some violent felonies, both through the laws they enact and via the others they put up to the voters disguised as such lies as “Safe schools and neighborhoods act.” They write bill after bill to give convicts more rights, to release them early from prisons, to completely forgive their criminal behavior, to allow them to serve on criminal juries, while they simultaneous write bills to take guns away from law abiding citizens who have done absolutely nothing wrong.
In fact, California Governor Gavin Newsom is a perfect example of what I am talking about. Of the 21 convicted felons, most of whom were serving life sentences, that he granted clemency to on September 13, 2019, 19 of them were convicted of violent crimes involving firearms.
These politicians who are attacking the second amendment are nothing but unscrupulous snake oil peddlers who use lies intended to draw on people’s raw emotions to get what they want – a disarmed populace. I have a very serious problem with that, and so should you.
Citizens & Self Defense
Lastly, as a cop, I have seen countless times, firsthand, the difference that having a gun makes for citizens. For many, it is the difference between life and death. For others, it is the difference between being a victim or not.
You see, we, the cops, want to do everything we can to protect the innocent. We wish we could be there exactly when someone needs us the most, to protect them from the criminals, especially the criminals with guns. We really do. but the fact of the matter is, that is physically impossible. This is not Minority Report and we do not have a crystal ball. We do not know when and where bad things are going to happen, and there are only so many of us working and any given time. I explored this topic in depth years ago, and still stand by every single word I wrote.
When seconds count, the cops are only 5-6 minutes away*.
Taking guns away from law abiding citizens only hurts them, is a clear violation of the second amendment, and ironically just serves to make the criminals “job” safer.
Law abiding citizens use guns, most times without ever firing a shot, nearly 2 MILLION times a year to defend themselves and others. That is hundreds of times more defensive uses than people who are killed by criminals with guns. Ask yourself, whose side are you on, the victim’s or the criminal’s?
Any and all legislation should be driven by logical thought and analysis of its potential effectiveness, never emotion.
To those who want to do something to stop all this “gun violence,” stop focusing on the tool used. Instead focus on the perpetrator. You might be surprised to find nearly every single one has a long criminal history. Instead of trying to eliminate a tool that any skilled machinist can build in their garage, how about we start eliminating (removing from the streets) the worthless sacks of crap who plague our society.
Like all my brothers and sisters in blue, I grieve over the senseless, tragic loss of Officer Tara O’Sullivan, but I will not permit others to use my emotions to manipulate me, or worse, to strip our constitutionally guaranteed second amendment rights from all of us.
Today, and every day, I ardently support the second amendment, because I think with my head, not my heart!
As always, your questions and comments are welcome. Be safe out there, and remember your ABC’s: Always Be Carrying.
-Matt
*national average response time for a law enforcement response to a reported emergency
