www.nydailynews.com/news/ideas_opinions/story/384934p-326706c.html

Courage in the face of a gun

The NYPD sergeant and officer who left trigger-happy repeat offender Damian Henry in a bloody heap early Saturday are owed the thanks of all law-abiding New Yorkers. The cops displayed the highest valor in facing a thug with an Uzi-style machine pistol, and they did what was necessary in riddling Henry with bullets.
It is indeed cause for joy that Sgt. Ajay Kapour and Officer Andrew Rydlewski cut Henry down before his gunfire harmed them or anyone else. They were overmatched in weaponry and had heard Henry squeeze off a round - and still they gave chase, waging a gun duel from as close as 15 feet. Greater bravery is hard to conceive.

Remember, too - for surely these two officers did - that gun violence has taken the lives of two NYPD cops and wounded nine others since June. Incredibly, one of the dead, Detective Dillon Stewart, was slain by a 9-mm. that Henry had allegedly used to shoot up a Brooklyn diner. He was out on bail on that charge, and a jury had previously acquitted him of a 2002 cop shooting.

This time, the criminal justice system is coming down harder on Henry - or at least has the tools to. He has been charged under the Crimes Against Cops Law enacted last month by the Legislature and Gov. Pataki after a campaign by the Daily News. He faces a minimum of 20 to 40 years in prison, up from 15 to 25, and could get life. Brooklyn District Attorney Joe Hynes should trumpet the case as a lesson in what now happens to criminals who lay a finger on cops.

Some may be deterred by the law's tougher sentences, and those who persist in violence will be locked away for that much longer. Ultimately, though, cops and civilians alike will suffer the ravages of gun violence until New York wins the war against illegal weapons on the street. The fight has been going poorly of late.

Military-style assault weapons of the kind wielded by Henry have been showing up in increasing numbers since Congress and President Bush allowed federal ban on the guns to expire in late 2004. They did the bidding of the National Rifle Association, and it's all but certain that innocent blood will be spilled because of the blind irresponsibility of the NRA and its agents in Washington.

At the same time, Bush, Congress and the NRA have erected ever stronger legal shields around gun manufacturers and dealers to protect them from liability for pumping guns into a black market that sends them here from states like Georgia and Virginia.

NRA sneak attack

The gun forces will stop at nothing to keep the pipeline open, and nothing shows their political muscle more dramatically than a legislative dirty trick that stripped New York City of its last great hope for holding the gun merchants to account.

Mayor Bloomberg, who has made fighting illegal weapons a centerpiece of his second term, Sens. Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton and the state's entire congressional delegation were played for suckers when someone - no one takes responsibility - slipped poisonous language into a federal budget bill in November.

Largely unnoticed until recently, the 45-word provision all but kills New York's chances of successfully suing gun manufacturers and distributors who allow their wares to leak into the black market. How so? By barring city lawyers from using their most powerful evidence: federal records identifying the worst of the death merchants.

The law in question originated with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and was kept alive by Bloomberg. Thanks to Brooklyn Federal Judge Jack Weinstein, the case appeared likely to become the gun industry's worst nightmare. So the NRA turned to Washington.

Late last year, the Republican-led Congress voted to immunize the industry from such legal action, but Weinstein ruled the city's case could continue anyway. That now turns out to be a hollow victory because at the very end of the legislative process, without public discussion, an NRA lackey sneaked a clause into the budget bill forbidding the use in court of data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that trace the origins of guns used in crimes.

The statistics are devastating. In 1998, for example, 57% of the crime guns were traced back to just 1.2% of all gun shops. No wonder the NRA is desperate to keep such damning numbers from a jury.

The city's lawyers must now fight with both hands tied behind their backs. We wish them luck. If New York is to win the larger battle for safer streets, however, our representatives in Washington must learn from this slimy episode, keep a sharper eye on the NRA's operatives and ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.

You can e-mail the Daily News editors at [email protected]. Please include your full name, address and phone number. The Daily News reserves the right to edit letters. The shorter the letter, the better the chance it will be used.

I'm sorry.  I thought this article was about "Courage in the face of a gun"....like the headline says.

What crap, but I don't expect much else out of NYC media.

Quoted: Ignorance is the foundation of liberalism. The cops displayed the highest valor in facing a thug with an Uzi-style machine pistol... Military-style assault weapons of the kind wielded by Henry have been showing up in increasing numbers since Congress and President Bush allowed federal ban on the guns to expire in late 2004.

"machine-pistols" were never ever ever EVER part of the Federal "Assault Weapon" Ban. That was all about certain "semi-automatic" firearms and their cosmetic features.

Ignorance is the wellspring of liberalism.

Quoted: The statistics are devastating. In 1998, for example <<< SNIP!!! >>>

Yes, statistics ARE devastating.

Like THESE statistics:

According to the most recent detailed report, Dept. of Justice; Firearm Use by Offender...

FACT: "Assault weapons" are RARELY possessed by criminals during commission of a crime -
State and Federal prison inmates armed during the crime for which they are being incarcerated:
* 9.9% of state and 7.3% of federal inmates possessed "single-shot" firearms.
* 7.9% of state and 7.7% of federal inmates possessed conventional semiautomatic firearm.
* 1.5% of state and 1.7% of federal inmates possessed military-style semi-auto or full-auto firearms.

FACT: "Assault weapons" are RARELY involved in ANY crimes -
State and Federal prison inmates who have ever possessed firearms during ANY crime: (table 2)
* 14.2% of state and 10.6% of federal inmates possessed "single-shot" firearm during ANY crime.
* 10.9% of state and 9.8% of federal inmates possessed conventional semiautomatic firearm during ANY crime.
* 2.5% of state and 2.3% of federal inmates possessed military-style semi-auto or full-auto firearms during ANY crime.

FACT: "Assault weapons" possessed by criminals during crimes are usually obtained ILLEGALLY -
Of State prison inmates who possessed military-style semi-auto or full-auto firearms in crimes for which they are incarcerated:
* 48.5% obtained them through illegal sources (theft, drug dealer, black market, etc.)
* 25.2% obtained them from family or friend.
* 19.3% obtained them from retail sale.
* 1.9% obtained them from gun shows.

Also from the same source DOJ source:

FACT: "Assault weapons" that are possessed during a crime are the LEAST LIKELY type of firearm to be actually discharged during the crime.

FACT: "Assault weapons" that are possessed during a crime are the LEAST LIKELY type of firearm to be used to injure the victim.

FACT: "Assault weapons" that are possessed during a crime are the LEAST LIKELY type of firearm to be used to kill the victim.

"ASSAULT WEAPONS" HAVE NEVER BEEN A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN GUN-CRIMES.



FACT: The "Assault Weapon" Ban Did NOT Reduce The Number Of Officers Killed In The Line Of Duty -

Six years prior to "Assault Weapon" Ban:
Year....Total LEOs Killed...By Handguns...By Other Guns...By Other Methods
1988..................78.......................63......................13....................2
1989..................66.......................40......................17....................9
1990..................66.......................48.......................9....................9
1991..................71.......................50......................18....................3
1992..................64.......................44......................11....................9
1993..................70.......................50......................17....................3
TOTALS...........415......................295......................85...................35

Six years after "Assault Weapon" Ban:
Year....Total LEOs Killed...By Handguns...By Other Guns...By Other Methods
1995..................74.......................43......................19...................12
1996..................61.......................50.......................7....................4
1997..................70.......................49......................18....................3
1998..................61.......................40......................18....................3
1999..................42.......................25......................16....................1
2000..................51.......................33......................14....................4
TOTALS...........355......................240......................92...................26

CHANGE......(-14%).................(-19%)................(+8%)...........(-26%)

Source: US Dept. Justice, Law Enforcement Officers Feloniously Killed
* The number of police killed by non-handgun firearms (which includes "assault weapons") has NOT decreased since the passing of the "assault weapon" ban in 1994 but in fact has INCREASED since the passage of the AWB.

This comes despite the decrease in the number of LEOs killed by all other means INCLUDING handguns. So if the Antis want to use the decline in police officers killed by handguns to support their claim that handgun laws work and that we need more - they should also admit that the "assault weapon" ban has FAILED and should be abandoned. But no, the Antis NEVER fail, they just keep going, facts be damned. Facts that coincidentally support their flawed thinking are touted as "PROOF" that gun laws work. Facts that clearly refute their irrational thinking are simply ignored or cast aside for "more study".
THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THE "ASSAULT WEAPON" BAN REDUCED THE NUMBER OF LEOs KILLED. PERIOD.



FACT: Studies demonstrated that the "Assault Weapon" ban "FAILED" to reduce gun-murders:
"We were unable to detect any reduction to date in two types of gun murders that are thought to be closely associated with assault weapons, those with multiple victims in a single incident and those producing multiple bullet wounds per victim. We did find a reduction in killings of police officers since mid-1995. However, the available data are partial and preliminary, and the trends may have been influenced by law enforcement agency policies regarding bullet-proof vests."

5.2.3. Assault Weapons and Crime -
"...assault weapons do not appear to be used disproportionately in violent crime relative to other guns"
"Overall, assault weapons accounted for about 1% of guns associated with homicides, aggravated assaults, and robberies" and "only 2% of guns associated with drug crimes were assault weapons."

5.2.4. Unbanned Handguns Capable of Accepting Large-capacity Magazines -
"The ban on large-capacity magazines does not seem to have discouraged the use of these guns."

6.2.1. Trends in Multiple-Victim Gun Homicides -
"[Studies] failed to produce any evidence that the ban reduced the number of victims per gun homicide incident."

6.3.4. Conclusions -
"[Studies] failed to produce evidence of a post-ban reduction in the average number of gunshot wounds per case or in the proportion of cases involving multiple wounds."

6.4.2. Assault Weapons and Homicides of Police Officers -
"In sum, police officers are rarely murdered with assault weapons."
THE DEFINITIVE CONGRESSIONAL REPORT (link here) ON THE "ASSAULT WEAPON" BAN SHOWED IT "FAILED" TO REDUCE GUN-MURDERS.



See? So that idiot who wrote that article is right about ONE thing: Statistics ARE devastating.

Tag due to another of The_Macallan's masterful posts.

Quoted: Tag due to another of The_Macallan's masterful posts.

+1

Great post.

This FUCKING Libtard that wrote this starts out good then gets on the ANTI GUN soapbox.....Trash, Filth, Garbage.

War is Peace Slavery is Freedom Ignorance is Strength

This isn't misguided intentions - this is willful lies.
Socialism marches onward...

what an agenda driven crock of shit.

Quoted: Tag due to another of The_Macallan's masterful posts.

Yep.

Quoted: <snip>

/Libtard

Facts!  Run away!  That big clip gives it more murders per bullet!  More thrusts per squeeze!

Aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeee!

/Libtard



Sheep

Isn't it amazing to see how the NY press reacts to this police shooting? The overwhelming majority of the time they are pissed off about the shooting and try to drag the department into all sorts of hell about it. They complained about the use of hollowpoints bullets because of their liberal stupidity.

But it seems that the NY press is content for the police to shoot people they don't like, defined as people they disagree with politically.

Amazing how that works, isn't it?

wouldn't the topic name be more accurate if it were changed to: "Bullshit in the Minds of Idiots"

don't get me wrong, the police did show a lot of courage in dealing with that guy. But to use this article about a shootout that ended well to try and sneak in gun control propaganda is spineless.

BTW, thanks again Macallan for bringing numbers like that to light

Great facts.  There is, however one further statistical breakdown I would like to see.  The part where it shows LEO deaths by handgun - this is particular to LEOS - in how many of those deaths was the LEO killed by his/her OWN handgun?  FOr example, disarmed by the perp, etc., then used on the officer in that engagement.  And, how many were killed by other LEOs?  I'm sure that's much less, and, unfortuantely it happens in a large engagement.  But, don't blame me for it.

Quoted: Great facts.  There is, however one further statistical breakdown I would like to see.  The part where it shows LEO deaths by handgun - this is particular to LEOS - in how many of those deaths was the LEO killed by his/her OWN handgun?  FOr example, disarmed by the perp, etc., then used on the officer in that engagement.  And, how many were killed by other LEOs?  I'm sure that's much less, and, unfortuantely it happens in a large engagement.  But, don't blame me for it.

Years 1991-2000:
* 51 out of 601 LEOs feloniously killed on duty were slain with their own weapon. That's about 8.5%.

* 17 out of 643 LEOs accidentally killed on duty were due to "Accidental shootings - crossfires, mistaken for subject, firearm mishaps". That's about 2.6%.


Source

Tag!

Quoted: Tag!

What he said.