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I’ve been binge-watching Longmire. While comparing Absaroka County with New York City (as above) is like comparing a lever action rifle to an AR-15, Walt’s not wrong that the character of their lawmen is one important difference between the two locales. Aside from the fact that Sheriff Longmire is a fictional character and Absoroka County doesn’t exist. And if it did, it would have one of the highest per capita murder rates in the United States. Anyway, when it comes respecting gun rights, there’s a huge difference between inner city cops and rural law enforcement. Are you urban, suburban or rural and how do your local cops figure on firearms-freedom-o-meter?

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85 COMMENTS

    • Ditto here, as a lawsuit settlement for an undisclosed amount over an illegal open carry detainment will attest.

      • Police are hired by people who are elected… Not much different.

        Why do any of these people have so much arbitrary power over other people?

        The sheriff here is a very good man, and does not fling his weight (power) around, but he’s still obligated to “enforce” a good number of immoral and unnecessary “laws.” And he does.

    • I would agree with this. The sheriff dept in my very rural area are mainly interested in doing police work that is actually beneficial. The city police are made up of the guys I went to high school with who got their asses kicked a lot and are mainly interested in their power trip and/or revenue generation. I have no respect for the latter.

    • The main reason there is a municipal police force is to extract revenue from the locals through tickets, fines, court fees, etc.
      It’s a cash cow for the city.

    • I always remember that it was LA’s finest who were the First-To-Flee from the Rodney King Riots. That right there is an excellent reason for decent law-abiding private citizens to own a modern semi-automatic rifle.

      “Serve and Protect” ???? As long as it’s not too dangerous. Police are primarily auditors of wrongdoing, there isn’t much they can or will do about pre-empting crime.

      • And don’t forget the over 200 that walked off the job in NOLA after Katrina…

        I’m sure they were all big shoulders and bad attitudes before the storm, but a little bit of Ma Nature (and how humans respond to real stress) made that particular bunch show their true colors.

        • A police officer on one forum told me that half the cops in NOLA are borderline criminals. He claimed that NOLA paid their police officers so little that they couldn’t get “good” cops, and that NOLA is ALWAYS recruiting since no cop that is any good wants to work for them.

  1. Agent Jones got a new job. There was an episode where a road kill collecting woman’s handgun is seen by Walt and she quickly explains that it is “registered”.

  2. The Des Moines PD seems to be quite gun friendly, even with no duty to report that we are carrying in interactions with law enforcement. I left my gun in my car one night while I was in a friend’s house (I was drinking so I felt it wise, also, my permit is invalid if I am under the influence) and my car got hit by a drunk while parked outside. I asked the responding officer if I was clear to go recover my carry gun from the locked glove box and he exasperatedly asked me “Why aren’t you carrying it RIGHT NOW!?!”. I explained that I was having a few drinks inside and he told me to “go get it” with the tone of a father telling his child to go clean up their room.

    The only negative impact on guns in general come from the local county sheriffs (we have 99) that take that political stance to get and stay elected based on the local demographic.

  3. I’m pretty sure they don’t need my support. That said, I live in a rural college town, which brings its own set of issues, and the police do generally seem to handle them well.

    On the other hand, the local PD stood me up for three consecutive appointments for my concealed-carry license, and after five attempts in total, I gave up and drove to the county sheriff’s office — where it was in and out with smiles all around. So there is that.

  4. Living in downtown Chicago, the police and firearm rights issue is somewhat ambiguous. The longest interaction I have had with Chicago PD in recent years is either a nod in the street or watching them blow through red lights without even turning their lights on south of 18th street (the start of the southside). This obviously somewhat jaded by me being a white collar, white guy.

    I know that the Chicago government and the police were key in creating so many gun free zones in the city that it is near impossible to legally carry concealed, causing me to not even bother applying for a permit yet.

    I also know that this year, being warmer than most recent, has been horrible for shootings across the city and we are on track to blow away murders from the last few years by about a hundred.

    While I think this makes it even more imperative that law abiding citizens be allowed to protect themselves for rampant violence when the police force is really meant to only show up after the shooting has stopped (that is if they even show up after being screamed at in the streets for trying to do their jobs during the black lives matter protests), I also understand that the police, only numbering about 10,000 for the 3 million Chicago residents, would probably feel better if they were the only ones on the street with guns.

    It’s tough one, I’m interested to see what others think.

    • I gather your opinion is widespread, but personally, if I were a cop, I would want every law abiding citizen to be thoroughly armed, and every day. With a loaded gun handy while they were sleeping. Why in the world I would want them disarmed when I get into a gunfight with the damn BAD guys, I can’t even imagine.

    • I worked with a guy years ago who mentioned a police stop near Midway coming or going to work and the cop asked if he had a gun, the guy responded yes and the cop asked if it was loaded to which he responded with “What good is an unloaded gun?” The cop told him to be careful and let him on his way. Truth or fiction, I can’t say. But it goes with the idea that gun control is to keep gun out of the “wrong” people’s hands.

      • “But it goes with the idea that gun control is to keep gun out of the “wrong” people’s hands.”

        Nah…not really that either.

        The lie of that notion is laid bare by the fact that the “wrong people” is a moving target.

        Gun control is about control. Some cops are more Statist than others. The one that stopped your buddy was just lower on the Statist scale…

    • I too was raised in Chicago, and I’ll throw out another reason for Chicago cops not to want the suckers… I mean taxpayers armed.

      Google “S.O.S.” + “Jerome Finnegan”. If I were a Chicago cop running a home invasion, burglary and kidnapping ring, I wouldn’t want my potential victims to be armed either.

  5. I live in an urban area, specifically in South Florida which leans left. The cops generally are ambivalent to guns, or lean against citizen ownership of them. However, the cops I’ve met personally on a regular basis are pro-gun, probably because I met them at the range or a class.

    Rural cops in Florida are all about it.

  6. Living in Massachusetts is a burden, I live within 10 miles of the capitol suburban, but my town’s chief is very pro-CCW. I’ve seen the issuing officer convince people that were in to get a permit for pepper spray to apply for their Class A hi-cap. its the same money and same background check. I’d never state the name of the town, because I’d not want to bring the chief grief.

    • Yeah, Massachusetts is just weird. Boston and environs might as well be New Jersey, but once you get west of I-95 it seems like there’s decent odds you’ll be in a de-facto shall-issue area.

      • Yup. I’ve lived in two MA towns that were gun friendly, and had no trouble getting my LTC-A on Cape Cod and my LTC renewed in North Attleboro. My State Senator and State Representative are both Republicans, so maybe that explains everything.

        LTCs used to be divided into classes, but now there’s only one class that covers everything legal. Also notable is that no permit of any kind is now required for pepper spray, although you can only buy one from an FFL.

      • I can second this. I live closer to Cape Cod than Boston, and around here we’re basically shall issue, and I even open carry a big H&K USP fairly regularly.

  7. Big city (Houston) cops and immediate suburbs and the sherrif’s departments of the big counties are about 75% statists. Can’t be trusted, either because they’re bad guys, actual criminals, or because they’re go-along, stay silent types. The ones of those who are great are the guys with 25-30+ years in, who are still working a beat. That means they’ve never played by the crooked rules, so they’ve never risen through the corrupt ranks.

    In Texas, small town cops and small county sherrifs are usually fine Americans doing a great job. Constables and state police (DPS) are usually straight professionals, too.

    So basically, if you’re state-based or elected by a non-big city constituency, you’re probably respectable. Other than that is, well, other than that.

  8. I fully support my local cops, a town that hosts suburbs outside of Dallas. I’ve been pulled over a couple of times over the past few years for moving violations. No issues, always polite and professional. Ticket one time and a warning the other. I have to inform them that I am carrying and I’ve been thanked for actually carrying and not just carrying the card.

  9. I live in Plainfield, IN. The police department here in this small, central Indiana town is fantastic. I’ve had little-to-no interaction with the Hendricks County sheriff’s department, but have heard only good things.

    • Hendricks County and Danville PD are superb as well. I live in Speedway so I interact more with local Speedway PD (excellent), IMPD (depends on who you get), and the holdover MCSD (sub par).

  10. Since people are always eager to worship at the alter of their local leo’s I’m not surprised anyone would be “thankful” for a cop showing some respect to a constitutionally protected right they took an oath to uphold.

  11. Suburban, no idea, honestly.

    We were pretty urb-ish in UT, and I bought my gun through an in-house ffl that turned out to he a neighborhood preservation officer in my area. So that was funny and interesting.

  12. My local PD could be better, over the last few years they have had scandal after scandal, their most public one a civil PD employee enjoying sexual escapades including in a car outside of a slain officer’s funeral. Her tally was over a dozen sworn officers and a handful of high-ranking cops. (She wasn’t a slut, just very, very, friendly)

    http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/florida-cops-caught-sex-scandal-article-1.1383107

    As for the Sheriff, we have the famous Grady (Because they ran out of bullets) Judd, who is quite nice for gun rights, happy to sign off for NFA toys.

    Florida, what can I say? 🙂

  13. I live in a Jersey Shore suburban community and you would be surprised at how pro-gun out local gendarmes are. When go for Pistol Permits the guys want to talk guns for at least a half-hour and want to discuss what you are buying and why the particular gun. they process your requests faster than required by law and never give you a hassle about extensions. It’s a far cry from most of the state but I guess it’s because there’s very little crime in the area.

  14. Cobb County population just under 700k and part of the Atlanta area, mostly suburban and about 62 percent white. Lots of gun stores, one with several thousand to choose from new and used. The local probate court handles GA Weapons Carry License which in no way requires you to carry concealed (though I usually do because of Yankee transplant gun muggles, which are common). Our cops in my experience aren’t gun phobic and the local Sheriff offers a free firearms class for newbies that includes information on how to get the Carry License which they appear to hold every couple of months.

  15. The irony of Longmire is that they film it in northern New Mexico, and most everyone in the Wyoming, especially the Absoroka area of Wyoming/Montana (which once was going to campaign Congress to become a state), can tell at a glance on the screen that it is New Mexico or southern Colorado, and not Wyoming.

    The trees are wrong, the sagebrush is wrong, the grass is wrong. Even the dirt and dust are wrong.

    But I guess for Hollywood producers, they’re convinced that they can bamboozle their viewers all the time.

    • Gotta wonder why it matters where a fictional story is situated, seems like there would be zero change in the story line if they just said it was in NM.

    • Same with “Justified”. Loved that show. But SoCal ain’t Harlan county, KY. Trust me on that. Outside all the plants and terrain being just wrong there’s the freeway in the background of the Givens property with a steady stream of vehicles. In Harlan?

      Hollywood, when you’re lucky, is strictly for entertainment purposes.

      We dug coal together.

      • They filmed some of the first season of Justified in Kittanning PA. My buddies got stopped on 422 on their way in for second shift. I wondered how SW PA looked more like Kentucky than Kentucky did.

  16. Hard to trust the police when they look at you as a ‘revenue unit.’

    In my suburban town, apparently the cops primary job is raising revenue. And they’re good at it – we have an endless array of speed-traps, inflexible enforcement of picayune laws, jackbooted response to high school parties, and no common sense whatsoever. They even tried red light cameras a few years back until the policy was reversed by a voter initiative.

    Outside of the occasional burglary or drug bust, our crime rate is about zero. And yet, the number of cops goes up year after year… to better enforce jaywalking laws.

  17. Tidewater Virginia – I have never had a bad experience with cops, quite the contrary, they have always been courteous and professional.

  18. >>…it would have one of the highest per capita murder rates in the United States.

    Kinda like being anywhere in the vicinity of Jessica Fletcher was a near death sentence…

    O2

  19. I live in a small suburb south of Austin, work in the city proper. I support my local PD, and the Hays county Sheriff’s department. Several friends of mine work for the APD, and they’re decent people. I have no issues with most of the APD rank and file. I do have a huge issue with the police chief, who reflects the very liberal city council who hired him.

    • Never seen much professionalism out of APD. Sherrif Cutler and Hays Co. Sherrif’s office in general is a different story. I’ve never seen anything but professionalism there.

  20. People’s Republic of Massachusetts. Like a few posters. Unfortunately, as Guns and ammo rating on the worst anti pro2@ is correct. Hate to say it, but Massachusetts is a “Police-State “. Everything requires a license. Only 2 types now since the firearms act of 2014. LTC-for pistols. Hi-or low capacity. And FID for longarms. No longer required for pepper spray and mace. Permits are needed to “exercise your 2nd amendment—I mean local PD issued privilege. I’d you receive it…In order to purchase, own, or possess. Licensing is subject to suitability clauses, constitutional waivers, restrictions, prohibitions, and the whims of the powers that be…According to most police chiefs the 2nd amendment isn’t recognized here in P.R of -Massachusetts. Sheriff’s in Massachusetts are only involved in corrections, serving summons, evictions, divorce papers, etc. Massachusetts is of course a haven for sanctuary cites, political and police corruption, high taxes, and crime…Depending where you are…

  21. People tell me that La Crosse City police aren’t very open carry friendly but I have no direct experience. I have had conversations with several members of my community’s LEOs and we talked about hunting and firearms. Very positive impression. I think the smaller communities have better citizen-police relations because the police are also community members.

  22. Sure I support them. I pay taxes. Every year they blow those taxes on bigger vehicles they don’t need, in order to justify the year’s inflated budget. So I do not support them morally. Especially the sheriff, because in my county it was his bright idea to force citizens to pay for a psych evaluation from a state doctor to qualify for CC. On top of that they will interview my neighbors, and call my mother, among others to see if “how they feel” about my rights. The sheriff can kick rocks as far as I’m concerned.

  23. If you disregard the murder, raping, racism, theft, incompetence, and corruption, the local PD are just as fine as any other urban PD.

  24. I support ’em by paying taxes. Very mickey mouse/Barney Fife like for the most part. I’m old and can talk to anyone-and diffuse a hostile cop. My black wife and brown kids haven’t had any major problems either(knock on wood). My local po-leece seem to mainly be interested in issuing BS traffic tickets…this is 15 miles south of Chicago. Chicago cops suck. Badly. And the city has run out of money-so look for much less brutality and evil from the Chiraq po-leece. They won’t bail you out…you’ll do time.

  25. Bill Gore is our sheriff. Enough said. He won the last election because 2 candidates split the vote against him.

  26. Stockton CA. Hayward CA. Union city CA. PD cut me slack in a big way. Twice involving guns.

    Alameda county SD? Ticket writing anti gun machine.

  27. I pay taxes so i guess i support them that way. Otherwise i just stay under the radar so i couldnt tell you either way how gun friendly they are/arent. Far Se suburb of portland, or.

  28. I am suburban in that there a lot of homes around … and rural enough that my friends who live within 1/2 mile of me shoot regularly in their “back yards”.

    Speaking of, one of those friends was shooting in his “back yard” when a neighbor took exception to the VERY loud bang coming from his .300 Win. Mag and .416 Barret riles. (Note: .416 Barret is .50 BMG necked down to .416 which is crazy loud.) The neighbor called the Sheriff and a deputy rolled up. The deputy walked over to the shooting bench and noted the target in front of a nice dirt berm (e.g. safe back stop). The deputy also noticed the rifle chambered in .416 Barret. At that point the deputy asked if he could have a go with the .416 Barret.

    After shooting the .416 Barret and wiping the big smile off of his face, the deputy explained that he would go over and tell the neighbor not to call again unless the shooting was taking place in the middle of the night. Needless to say, we like that guy.

    Unfortunately, other deputies like to pull people over under bogus pretenses. One deputy pulled us over and said that he clocked us at 73 mph in a 50 mph zone. We had been driving very close to 50 mph and I immediately shouted “What?!?!? There is no way we were driving 73 mph!” After running our driver’s licenses, he mumbled something about his visual observations clearly confirmed that we were not going 73 mph and let us go. Another deputy pulled over a young gal from our church at 2:30 a.m. She was returning from a midnight movie. When she rolled down her window, the deputy said, “I smell marijuana. Get out of the car and keep your hands where I can see them.” He locked her in the back of his car and searched her car for something like 20 minutes without her consent. He never found anything because there was NO marijuana … nor had anyone ever possessed nor smoked marijuana in her car. After striking out, he mumbled something about never being wrong and always being able to find it … but having to let her go because he couldn’t find anything.

    So, by and large, no one in our family nor church supports the local deputies (other than the one guy who likes to shoot). The deputies are obviously quite comfortable violating the law and our rights.

    • relevant to the lady from you church spending time in the back of a cop car while her car is being searched for absent marijuana. IMHO, by the time we graduate high school, each citizen of this county should have been taught a clear understanding of our civil rights. (preferably in 7th graft civics class) Had I been pulled over at 2:30 am and the officer smelled weed in my car and demanded a search, I would exercise every civil right I have as an American citizen. Do you have a warrant? are you ordering me out of the car? why was I pulled over? You may not search my vehicle without my consent. Am I being detained? What is your name and badge number? IMHO, if every one of us citizens exercised our civil rights every time we had a police encounter, then the police we encounter would be less likely to think they can get away with violating said civil rights.

    • Fun factoid: Some paper/ink combos release organic compounds that smell almost exactly like marijuana when they’re heated.

      A big box of freshly printed pamphlets that’s been heating up in your locked car on a sunny day could easily convince a LEO that you have illicit drugs stashed somewhere.

  29. Not relating to the actual question, but I dig Longmire. He carries a 1911 with the hammer down on a live round, which isn’t too bright, but it’s the only TV show I know where he actually cocks it EACH AND EVERY TIME he draws.

    Unlike some other procedurals *cough*Criminal Minds*cough* where there is a cocking sound every time someone draws a GLOCK.

    • The Blacklist was real bad this last time. Baddy’s make a road block with two Cadillac SUV’s and a dully Ford F-something parked backwards between the Cadi’s, the tailgate is dropped and reveals what i think is a M701A1. The baddy with the M701 shots the van they want to stop in the grill stopping the engine, then there’s a shoot out, in which the M701 ‘fires’ a burst like a select fire M4 with muzzle flash!

      Plus the cocking Glock’s

  30. Our local PD is pretty good. Small, suburban CT town. When my Pistol Permit took longer than it was supposed to, the Chief’s assistant called me to apologize for the delay due to the high volume of applications. When I did my FFL 03, the chief called me personally to ask what he needed to do to help – I guess he doesn’t see a lot of those, since I had to explain he just has to do nothing and it’s good to go.

    That said, when I asked one of the local cops if I could use their new range, since I helped pay for it, he said no, albeit politely.

  31. Cops are law enforcers which is another way of saying that they use violence to compel obedience. They are the enemy of freedom. Private security protects you, the police protect the state. FTP.

  32. My local SO actually helps train people if they so want and hugely support people’s SA rights. The local city cops? Not as much. More have a don’t help yourself, what are you carrying that gun for, we will come save you attitude.

  33. I live near the KY and TN border. In christian county and Montgomery County both police and sheriff are alright.
    I’ve stood next to a white uniformed officer at the range and had a great conversation. I was as comfortable with him as he was as comfortable with me , a black man with a gun practicing marksmanship.

  34. County sheriff, yes.
    Town & village/parrish PDs, no.

    In my part of rural N. Alabama, guns are pretty ubiquitous. It’s also a dry county, if it matters any. During hunting season at the community colleges, more than a few trucks in the parking lots have rifles & shotguns locked in racks. Open carry is fairly common, and law enforcement doesn’t bat an eye.

    Getting a CWP is a non-issue as well, and there is legislation working it’s way through Montgomery to do away with the requirement for one to keep loaded firearms inside vehicles. The majority of sheriffs are for it, but the big city PDs have been fighting it.

  35. The Michigan State Police are one of the strongest forces against pro-gun legislation in Michigan.

    I grew up in NW Indiana. The Gary cops were in the news getting arrested for corruption, illegal drug sales, etc. as much or more than the non-LEO criminals.

  36. You already know my position: Suburban, and yes I support my local Police and they support my rights, as they know ultimately my rights are their rights, and our kids go to the same schools, we go to the same churches and we are all in this whole community thing together. Besides, they saved my ass once when i was a kid. Our Sheriff is great too. Even has a cool auto-reminder thing about renewing your carry permit every 5 years. Our crime rate is crazy low. This is the way it is supposed to be. Now… Drive 30 minutes into Philly and all bets are off. Cities suck. They are the rotting festering source of all this stupid panzy nanny stuff. They can have their stinking rotten cities, stay out of my suburbs and rural areas.

  37. When the suburb I reside in was founded in late ’60s, guns were illegal anywhere but your home. State Supreme Court slapped ’em, locals are ambivalent towards 2A now. County is very pro, Colorado is Shall Issue, and the Sheriff encourages CC.

    I had a bizarre traffic accident last July. Locals were way cool, helped me out and kept my tow bill under $100.00 by stretching some rules. Ya, I support them.

  38. We have one red light and four cops. I know all of them by name, and they know me. They know what I drive, and they know who my kids are and what they drive too.

    I live in a small bedroom community 10 miles south of a small-medium size city with majority democrat voters. That’s why my town is thriving, and theirs isn’t.

    Charlie

  39. They are all useless. Only two things they care about: their pension and their pay check.Forgot: a cool car/truck/SUV to drive around in

  40. I live out in the county of a megalopolis city. All the city cops I see these days are very young wet behind the ears types. The CLEO is a woman of color who was hired just because of that. She keeps a low profile. She and the department put out a PSA video about “how to behave during a traffic stop”. Complete with how to give up your constitutional rights during said stop. I keep waiting for that to bite them in the butt in court. The county cops or local yocals as we call them are pretty harmless but that is kinda the problem. They dont get too excited about much including suburban crime and that is where the crime is here. There is nothing much to steal in the city. All the good stuff is out in the county. We have seen a massive spike in day time burglaries and the Sheriff’s dept hasnt done squat about it. Until they get on the ball and earn their pay, I have no use for them. I dont check books out of the library so they dont come to my house looking for them. No what I mean?

  41. I took an opportunity to attend a local Citizen’s Police Academy for my local town of Marana, AZ. If you remember, the Marana PD made headlines last year when one of the officers rammed a suspect who stole a gun with ammo from Walmart and was walking down a major avenue threatening local people and businesses with it. Anyhoo, I was actually quite impressed with their operations. Most of the officers seemed quite down to earth and I didn’t sense too many obvious Alpha dogs mentality on the force. I was particularly impressed with the Chief, who made it a mission statement to each and every officer that their first and foremost duty was to serve the people. Everything else comes second fiddle. I would also say this is a force of about 70 who has to patrol an area of 121.08 sq miles that is both urban and rural. Now the police dept has the advantage of pulling resources from outlining communities and the City of Tucson if a situation warrants it (this is how their SWAT team is set up, pooled resources and manpower with surrounding towns and county) but the Marana Police force has very few murders in a city of 38,000 with an additional number of transient visitors and workers passing through. So after getting to know and see how they operate, I do support them.

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