One of the most persistent shibboleths in the gun world: racking a pump-action shotgun will scare away a burglar. While it can be true, it’s not the best way to play You Bet Your Life. Besides, if you’re racking a shotgun either A) you’re ejecting a round (from a platform not famous for its ammo capacity) or B) you didn’t have a round in the chamber to start with (not the best starting point for armed self-defense). Cops carry long guns in one of two conditions: Cruiser Safe (magazine loaded, chamber empty, safety on) or Cruiser Ready (magazine loaded, chamber loaded, safety on). At 3:20 in the video above, a cop racks his shotgun in front of Black Lives Matter protestors in New York. Here’s a sample of the resulting outrage [via gothamist.com] . . .
No sooner had the group spread itself across the two lanes of incoming traffic than a group of Port Authority police approached, says Patrick Waldo, who was among the protesters. One of the officers was carrying a shotgun.
“The officer with the gun was one of the first that I noticed,” Waldo said. “He actually had hand-on-the trigger, shotgun up in the air. We were all like, whoa whoa whoa, take it easy!” . . .
For the protesters, the officers’ display of weapons was a clear example of precisely the issues that had moved them into the streets in the first place. “We were out there to address the militarization of the police, over-policing, police brutality, and the disconnect between police and the communities that they are hired to serve and protect,” Waldo said. “And here was that disconnect on full display. It was this guy who walked up to us with his gun drawn and no words. No language, no words, just a gun. And that’s exactly why we’re out there every night that we are: to say that there should be communication, there should be language.”
Ortiz says the cops’ behavior won’t dissuade her from protesting. “It makes me more inclined to be out there,” she says. “It’s a testament to exactly what we’re going out to protest for. As long as there are police that do that, there will be marchers.”
Dumb move by officer no-so-friendly? Dumb enough for a Vine loop. Which is pretty damn dumb, if you think about it.