Can police officers carry personal firearms?
At the agency I worked for, you had no choice. The department didn’t issue firearms, and you were expected to bring your own. I had never owned a gun. The requirement was that it had to be a .38 Special or .357 Magnum six-shot revolver, with a four- or six-inch barrel. Any manufacturer was allowed, so long as that specification was met.The second week of my academy, I went to a gun store with a vague notion of what I wanted, and bought a .38 Special S&W Model 67 revolver. I carried that for about three years, until one of our reserves left the department and sold me his S&W Model 19 (.357 Magnum revolver). I carried that one until we had the option to transition to a semi-auto, the only semi-auto authorized being a S&W Model 645 (.45 ACP).I had a high-temperature conversation with one of our captains once, when he got caught up in some TV talk. “I’ll have your badge and gun!” I told him he might be able to get my badge, but the gun was my personal property. He looked kind of silly, but that wasn’t unusual for him.When I transferred to the court staff, I could carry anything I wanted, once again, providing I bought it. By then, my wife was working for the University Police, which issued the Glock 23 (.40 caliber semi-auto). Once I shot the Glock, I was hooked, and that’s what I’ve had ever since.Sidearms are considered to be critical safety equipment for law enforcement officers, and the federal government requires employers to furnish critical safety equipment to employees. So, I think every law enforcement agency now issues sidearms to new officers, although they may still have an option to carry their own firearm. Some agencies require officers to carry the issued firearm and no other. On retirement, the officer is often allowed to purchase the firearm at a token cost, or his police association or fellow officers may purchase it for him as a retirement gift.
Do police have to buy their own guns?
Normally the police will issue ONE service weapon, but may give an officer the choice to use another weapon personaly purchases as long as they are approved ( would have to be certain brand or type) Normally you will be expected to purchase your own backup weapon, there is no agreement on type and kind of backup weapon more of a personal choice. Now some departments can require it, I know our department funished ammo each month to practice with, paid for the range, and funished the ASP, the MACE, and all of the safety equipment you may want. But I do know some departments that required you to buy your own ASP, MACE and other places. We did all have to buy our own flashlights, don't be cheap, there are some rechargeables that come with a life time warranty, and they really do it, I have had mine over 10 years and they replace them anytime they go bad
Can police borrow guns from a gun shop in case of a shootout if they are outgunned (caliber and amount)?
That precise scenario happened before.On February 28th 1997, two robbers known as the High Incident Bandits robbed the Bank of America.High Incident BanditsThey were heavily armed with automatic rifles.Automatic rifle used that dayOn the other hand, the police were poorly equipped, with most police officers being armed with simple weapons like pistols.LAPD with PistolsAnd on top of that, the robbers wore custom-made armor that made them virtually invulnerable to police fire.The armor the robbers used that dayIn fact, the police could not stop the robbers with their current equipment at all,with one officer famously stating over the radio:(do) not stop [the getaway vehicle], they've got automatic weapons, there's nothing we have that can stop themThus, the police had no choice but to borrow rifles from a nearby gun-store.The rifles borrowed were AR-15s, which made the playing field a little bit more fair for the cops.AR-15In the end, It was the SWAT team with their issued AR-15s that stopped this battle, with an officer successfully taking down one of the robbers while the other robber committed suicide.FinHence, the borrowed AR-15s arrived too late to change the battle’s outcome but nevertheless, this proved that officers can borrow guns from a gun store when such a situation arises, though I doubt such a shootout on this scale would ever happen again due to the precautions that a modern police force has against this exact threat.Modern Police forceThat’s all folks!
If there is a shooting near a gun shop and an officer runs out of ammo, can he legally take ammo for his handgun from the shop?
Strictly speaking, no.Under the common law doctrine of posse comitatus, a sworn police officer may request the assistance of any able-bodied adult who is not in the military to assist them affect an arrest. Failure to comply is generally a petty misdemeanor.However, this does not extend to the confiscation of private property - the 5th amendment explicitly prohibits taking private property for public use. They can ask, but I know of no statute that legally compels you to surrender your personal property to a police officer in this scenario (obviously contraband is a separate issue), and any such statute would likely be struck down on Constitutional grounds.In any event, after the dust settled, if you did consent, the government would be obligated to pay you fair market value for any private property they commandeered or damaged.During the 1997 North Hollywood shootout, LAPD officers commandeered not only ammo but rifles as well from a nearby gun shop, not to mention an ARMORED CAR. I can’t find any information about how the owners of said guns and vehicles were compensated. Personally, if it was my gun shop, I’d probably think that the free advertising would be well worth the cost of a couple rifles and boxes of ammo.
Are Texas peace officers allowed to open carry off duty?
A peace officer licensed by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Education, or TCLEOSE, and employed by an authorized government agency, is authorized to carry a weapon openly or concealed, on or off duty, anywhere in the state and concealed just about anywhere in the nation (there are some restrictions, but a federal law allows a Texas cop to carry a concealed weapon even in New York City, Chicago or Los Angeles). Most departments have rules requiring an officer to be in possession of a weapon 24/7 because an officer has the authority of his/her office all the time. Unless required by agency policy, the officer does not have to have his/her badge displayed, only to have the license and agency-issued identification (including the badge) available to display to another law enforcement officer if challenged. However, every cop I have ever known who open-carried in civvies was showing his badge somewhere (usually on the belt near the sidearm). So, yes, an officer can open carry off duty but why would they? If people don't know you're a cop, they will call the police about a MWAG (man with a gun). If they do know you're a cop, then you might as well not be off duty. It's best just to carry concealed and avoid any problems. About the only LEOs who regularly open carry in plain clothes are Texas Rangers (they don't have uniforms) and some county sheriffs. And they usually have their badge pinned to their shirt.
Can i work in a gun shop?
This is probably going to come across badly, and honestly, I really don't care if it does. I've been buying, selling, trading and shooting guns for longer than twice your age, when I go to a gun shop to buy, the last person I want to talk to or deal with is a child behind the counter. If I have a question about a particular gun, I don't want a prepubescent kid um'ing and er'ing his way through some contrived answer. Several years ago a gun shop on the eastern shore of Virginia lost a sizable sale with me when the kid behind the counter lied his way through an answer to a question I had, rather than go find an adult who actually knew WTF he was talking about. This is just a heads up for you here, just because someone is a cop doesn't mean they're a firearms expert. The most used tool on a cops equipment belt is his ballpoint pen. Some of the worst shots and least gun educated people I have ever encountered on public shooting ranges have been cops. This is not meant as an insult towards cops, I have a lot of respect for that thin blue line, just stating a fact, just because a cop wears a gun doesn't mean he's an expert with them.
If you're denied purchase of a gun, will the shop notify the police that you attempted?
When you are denied, the police in the form of the FBI are already notified. Denial records are kept forever.Many states use their own State Police agencies as the point-of-contact to administer NICS checks. So if you are denied, they are immediately notified because they are the one performing the check on behalf of the shop.It’s not the shop that notifies the police. That will be the FBI and my understanding is, yes, they do notify the State Police or local police if they are not a point-of-contact state as well as the BATFE. Since failing the NICS check is a potential felony, the FBI has the right to investigate any denial after notification of the denial to the denied. Most states are POC states where the State or local police handle the NICS checks so they are notified immediately.I know in the states I live the State Police is the POC so they know immediately. I was denied a NICS check many years ago in Virginia due to a computer database error and I know the Virginia State Police was fully aware of it. They would have been well within their authority to show up at my house with a warrant.Just because denials aren’t prosecuted doesn’t mean notification doesn’t occur. That is almost always done before you’ve left the shop. It is up to the police and the State’s attorney to decide whether or not prosecution is warranted. Since NICS denials include an appeals process, they must notify you of the form of the denial and give you the opportunity to appeal before you can be arrested unless the denial can be shown it was due to being a prohibited person that warrants their immediate attention. The vast majority of NICS denials are errors like mine, not actual criminal conduct.
Do Policemen favor gun shops selling AR rifles to civilians?
MANY members of law-enforcement support the NRA because they know better than anyone that they often get to a location after a crime is been committed and not before therefore they couldn’t actually protect the victim they can only enforce an existing law that was already broken. They know that a person’s greatest chance for survival lies in their ability to protect themselves. Also, The NRA wants ‘responsible gun ownership’ NOT for ‘everyone to own a gun’ since many people are F-ing nuts. RESPONSIBLE gun owners would be at the top of my priority list if I too were a cop.
What do police use automatic rifles for?
Just the other day, a cop brought in his fully automatic rifle in a gun shop to have it repaired. What do cops use fully automatic rifles for? Are law enforcement and military the only agencies that can legally be in possession of fully automatics?