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‘Political Correctness Kills!’: TheBlaze Readers Respond to Police Chief Who Said a Gun ‘Is Not a Defensive Weapon’

Feb. 16, 2013 9:51am Madeleine Morgenstern

Readers Respond to Emeryville, California Police Chief Ken James Who Said a Gun Is Not a Defensive Weapon

Emeryville, Calif. police Chief Ken James said a gun “is not a defensive weapon.” (Image source: YouTube)

A California police chief recently opined that a gun “is not a defensive weapon” but rather “an offensive weapon used to intimidate and show power.”

“One issue that always boggles my mind is that the idea that a gun is a defensive weapon,” Emeryville Police Chief Ken James said at a news conference. “That is a myth. A gun is not a defensive weapon. A gun is an offensive weapon used to intimidate and show power.”

TheBlaze asked readers whether they agree with the chief’s statement. Here’s what some of you had to say:

CaptMickeyd
A weapon is a defensive weapon when used in defense. Any weapon is an offensive weapon when used in offense. Whether it be a sword, a grenade, a rocket launcher, or a machine gun mounted on a plane. It is the motive behind the use of the weapon that makes it offense or defense.

The police chief should understand this.

Farmhand82
This guy is a moron of the highest caliber. Is he implying then that every time an officer shoots a suspect he is wrong to do so because guns are offensive weapons rather than defensive? Do the police have free reign to assassinate anyone they want then in this guys mind? The logic he tries to present is bafflingly pathetic to the point of being painful. 55 slain police officers is what he presents as evidence that no guns are ever used defensively because…..? I still can’t wrap my head around what he’s trying to argue.

RX4NV
Is it “defensive” or “offensive” is a matter of perspective. A policeman outwardly carries his weapon (ie gun) to show power and intimidate people away from doing something stupid. So yes, to a cop it is an offensive weapon. However, you are in your home at night and someone is prowling outside your door and barges in, the use of a gun becomes a defensive weapon to save your life. It is not intended to show power or intimidation at this point, but to “defend” your life. This police chief has a biased perspective as a cop. I’m sure if he had ever been in a one on one shoot out with a villain, he would realize he is trying to “defend” his life. The trivial fight over “offensive” versus “defensive” is only political, when it comes to protecting my life or others, semantics don’t help.

BONESIII
Why do the liberals have such a base urge to redefine everything? They describe the same things often, conveying the same meaning, but act as if they are morally outraged that a particular term carrying the identical meaning has been used. It’s all so stupid.

The gun is defensive when used to defend yourself. The police chief described exactly this situation. It is utterly pointless for him then to object to the term.

It would be fair to say a gun is not JUST a defensive weapon, to be clear. But to say “it is not a defensive weapon” is indisputably wrong.

To use an analogy, it would be like acting offended or perplexed that a car is called a “vehicle” or “transportation”, and giving the reason “the car often just its in the parking lot not transporting anything. It is used to get people from point A to point B, NOT for transportation. It is not a vehicle, it’s a box with wheels that we use to move around more easily.” This is exactly what liberals do.
Witness also the similar answers Pelosi and others have recently given in trying to deny that we have spending problems. They then go on to admit in different words (sometimes) that the meaning is correct, but object to the term.

Of course, the real reason they do this is to obscure the issue so they can seem “reasonable” when they sneak in foolish, clearly wrong ideas, also usually re-labelled deceptively, like that they want to raise taxes, or ban guns.

SENDTHEMETERORS
I think he should probably retire. He’s seen and heard about too many cops being killed with armor piercing cop killer bullets, something the NRA strongly supports. He’s probably also against explosive bullets, those bullets that explode when they hit their target, such as those President Reagan and James Brady were hit with. A type of ammo the NRA strongly supports because of the 2nd Amendment.

He definitely should step down. His perspective, like that of most policemen, is to protect innocent citizens. His perspective is all the cops and innocent citizens that have been killed with cop killer and explosive bullets, as well as all those people he’s sworn to protect who have been blown away with high capacity weapons. He’s seen too many brains and too much blood splattered on sidewalks and house walls, and too many gun owners who have killed friends, loved ones and themselves with firearms. He’s jaded and no longer capable of serving.

What he hasn’t seen, evidently, is all those people who have saved lives with semi-automatic high capacity weapons, the patriots who whipped out those bad boys to stop some bad guy during the commission of a crime!

The last person you want to listen too on the gun control issue is a cop! They don’t get it!

OLDPATRIOT55
I’ve been a cop for 40 years and have never heard such dribble in my life! People are alive today because I was there to DEFEND them. Criminals are dead today because a homeowner was armed to DEFEND his home. It’s really as simple as that! Political Correctness Kills!

–

Related:

California Police Chief: ‘A Gun Is Not a Defensive Weapon — That Is a Myth’

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

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Comments (251)

garbagecanlogic
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 12:16pm
He looks like a doof, talks like a door, thinks like a doof – therefore, he is a doof. How in the hell did he ever get the job of police chief?

Praise Be To Obama. Psalm 109:8

The U.N. Out Of The U.S.
The U.S. Out Of The U.N.

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WilliamORights
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 12:15pm
Love the way you cops dress yourselves in these uniforms. This dope looks fat and out of shape–but still dressed like the Commander-in-Chief of the World (COMCWOR). Four stars! Only 4 stars! What a freakin’ nerve these apes have.

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sparkyrules
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 12:14pm
CaptMickeyd got my vote.straight on,no argument.

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Warphead
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 12:11pm
This is “The wheels leaving the tracks.”

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666Sucks
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 12:10pm
This useful idiot stoner from the 70s is chief of police in a little Gomorrah smack dab between Berkley and San Fran Freako, need I say more?

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conservative karl
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 12:08pm
He’s right… Lets flip his statements on their heads for a moment… According to this cops definition the only reason for a government to have guns is to intimidate and show power over its citizens. So therefore it makes more sense for the citizens to have the guns. Because our government is controlled by the people it is imperative that power and intimidation be shown over the government by the people. The guy was arguing for gun rights and limited government and didn’t even know it. Bless his heart.

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MisterSarcastic
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 12:06pm
Send the meteors.
I had no idea that the NRA strongly supported “cops being killed with armor piercing cop killer bullets”. Could you post a link concerning that little gem of information?

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Carlinpa
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 12:02pm
That police chief needs a psychiatric evaluation and or a drug test.
If he doesn’t know that the military holds positions “defend” with guns or that “A gun is an offensive weapon used to intimidate and show power.”” in it of itself is a “Defense” weapon. The people of that city need to replace that whacko.
They criticize Republicans when they make ridiculous remarks, but they won’t say a peep about this guy.

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noslave
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:54am
you have to understand liberals count on their lips to defend them,sometimes their knees also??

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Legion5
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:53am
Chief James is an idiot. If a gun is strictly an offensive weapon then a police badge is as well. A badge is used to show power and intimidate everyday. Also what about the professional courtesy offices give each other that they never do to any other citizen. IE: a police officer stops another for speeding and the driver shows his badge to the stopping officer and they chat and then go about their day with no citation. Rarely will this same courtesy be shared with a regular citizen. Chief James, you are a thug with a badge intimidating your citizens from the shelter of law enforcement and a disgrace to the uniform……

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- sparkyrules
  Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:58am
  In my half century,Kens have always been either stoopid or stoopideer.As the World Turns….
  
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edcoil
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:52am
a gun “is not a defensive weapon” but rather “an offensive weapon used to intimidate and show power.”

I sure am glad we finally found a duel use tool.

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Salamander
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:52am
Sounds to me like Chief James doesn’t know the difference between a gun and a gunner! A gun is an inanimate object. It is neither an offensive nor a defensive weapon until placed in the hands of someone who intends to use it. We don’t classify knives and forks this way! We don’t classify hammers and saws this way! We don’t classify automobiles this way! We don’t even classify dynamite this way! What is it about our fascination with guns, when it is the gunner who should concern us? Perhaps we should pass a law against insanity? We already have one against killing. “Thou shalt not kill!”, the 5th Commandment (See: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/command.htm . I’m not Catholic, but this reference lays it out with some backup material that you might find useful.) Maybe we should teach that in our public schools! The rest of those Commandments are useful too. They come from “The Holy Bible” (B-asic I-nstructions B-efore L-eaving E-arth) Laws don’t stop killing-Action does! Thank your local police for doing their part–but remember, YOU ARE THE FIRST RESPONDER!

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Fred762
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:48am
The cop is an idiot or stooge to his masters! Any weapon can be defensive, or offensive..depends upon HOW it’s used. IMHO it’s NOT about crime per se: The real reason for the gvt/media-wide push for “gun control” is simple: As Lugwig von Mises said so eloquently in ‘Human Action’:(paraphrasing) ‘when the cost of living UNDER a gvt becomes higher than the cost of resistance TO it, there will be a change of gvt’ The pols and their big$$$$ backers know that THEY are raising the cost of living UNDER their “government”[taxes, wasteful spending, welfare cheats, illegals, etc]. The PTB have lost (to the internet) the media monopoly on news and the sheeple are getting pi$$ed off and restless. IMHO Gun Control has zero to do with stopping crimes, but is simply the way the PTB are using to disarm the people and keep the cost of resisting their gvt high. IF guns were really ‘bad’ the President, Bloomberg, Scheumer, Fineswine, Rahm Emanuel, et al would disarm their security details and make the agents carry only Mace!!

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Sharon Rose
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:46am
Step down, chief….now

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Saff SGT
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:43am
This still amazes me that someone this stupid can get to be a Police Chief any where in the USA. This is how Communist work. i guess im not stupid enough to figure this out….ill just keep my AR 15 handy

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- Salamander
  Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:55am
  Time for a new chief! You can’t fix stupid! Or, as they say, if you’re born stupid, it’s for a very long time!
  
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topperj
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:42am
Why make such a big deal about a guy who is the PC of a city of just over 10,000? He’s entitled to his opinion, but why give him coverage way above his pay grade?

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- Saff SGT
  Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:45am
  Because all Communist in America have to be pointed out for future actions that may be needed to save America from these A Holes
  
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sparkyrules
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:39am
Good job Madeleine Morgenstern and the Blaze.You even put dopey MS.Meteors in there.

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Mr. H.
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:31am
There is one problem with using a gun for self defense. What does the bullet hit after it goes through the aggressor? That is why I buy frangible rounds. They go splat! They do not go through walls or people.

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- Saff SGT
  Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:48am
  Collateral damage can happen anytime But the main thing is to kill the attacker fast and ruthlessly. then show it all over the USA telling crooks this is what you get when you break the laws
  
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paperpushermj
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:27am
“a gun “is not a defensive weapon” …..FOR YOU !
.
My Officers are different. They must carry a sidearm to protect themselves from the Bad Guys.

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Beachmastermax
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:26am
Exactly why the citizenry needs to keep their weapons. To defend themselves from cops who think that the sidearm they have is for OFFENSIVE purposes.

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deathorliberty
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:26am
This guy is so much more intelligent than the founders who gave us the Second Amendment! Yeah, right

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HOLYSMOKES
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:22am
It is true, political correctness is destroying this country. This is some kind of illness and this guy has caught it. However, in formulating this ridiculous response this officer proves why we should have guns. Guns do intimidate and show power. That is why there is way less crime in towns and cities where the citizens are armed. Criminal don’t want to mess with armed people. That’s why I have them to “defend” myself and my family. Our guns also show power and do indimidate tyrannical gov’ts and that is why they are so desperate to disarm us and leave us “defenseless”. Nothing intimidates a would be criminal like looking down the barrel of a gun.

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SpeakSoftlyAndCarry
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:18am
SENDTHEMETERORS you are either the most consistently ill-informed, or the most dishonest poster I have ever seen. BOTH so called “Cop Killer” bullets and “Exploding” bullets have been illegal for the public to own since the 1980s. NOT a single law enforcement officer has EVER been killed with the Teflon coated so called “COP KILLER” bullets. The term “Cop Killer Bullets” was fallaciously created by the Leftist Media for propaganda purposes to make the rounds sound more menacing than they really are in the same way the Leftist anti-gun lobby has fallaciously mislabeled certain semi-automatic rifles “Assault Rifle” for propaganda purposes despite the fact that these weapons do NOT meet the military’s true, long standing definition of an “Assault Rifle”. And as for the NRA, they did NOT oppose the ban of the sale of Teflon coated “Cop Killer” bullets, in fact the NRA helped craft the legislation that Congress passed that did ban the sale of “Cop Killer” bullets to the public (H.R. 3132 passed in 1986).
If people on the Left like you were really as passionate about this topic as they want everyone to believe then you would put in the effort, do the research, and learn the FACTS instead of spreading misinformation and lies.

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- Saff SGT
  Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:51am
  Don’t fret many of us save them amour piercing bullets for this occasion. we knew this time would come from voting in Left Wing Communist for presidents
  
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Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:02am
The best defense is a good offense.

Is a firearm an offensive weapon or a defensive weapon?

Six of one. Half a dozen of the other.

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- sparkyrules
  Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:41am
  It all depends have FAST you are. : )
  
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- The-Monk
  Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:57am
  Hi Guys,
  
  Really fast Monk…
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9adrZlv2VHA
  
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LeFaux Jew
Posted on February 16, 2013 at 11:00am
How would you like to work for this guy?
Don’t worry about what might be causing the situation.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-02-08/news/ct-met-waukegan-police-suicides-20130208_1_officers-face-police-work-officer-suicide

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