TTAG reader Josh Grabow writes:
I should say right off that I stand with many of my armed brothers in skepticism of police militarization generally and opposition to police immunity in some specific cases. I think it is one of the defining domestic politics issues of my generation. However, we should never forget that police are not stormtroopers, they are people. My CPL (Concealed Pistol Licence, because Michigan can’t just call it a CCW) and a failed brake line recently brought me into contact with one of my town’s officers, and I thought the tale deserved to be told . . .
Long story compressed as far as possible, my brake line blew in rush hour traffic and I impaled my front bumper on a very large trailer hitch. The other driver and I pulled off into a parking lot to discuss things and since his truck was a school vehicle, the police were called. An officer B arrived to take our statements and write up the report. As required by law, I handed him my CPL with the driver’s license and registration.
He glanced at it, handed it right back, and asked “Are you carrying right now?”
When I replied that I was, he said “Good! No point in having the license if you aren’t going to carry every day! It does you no good at home.”
When the paperwork was done and the other driver had left, I was waiting on a tow truck. The officer hung around for an extra minute or two to talk CPL shop, asked after what sort of firearm I carried, which turned out to be the same as his off-duty piece. We talked briefly about local ranges and shops, and the best place to get a S&W trigger job. I’ll admit to being a bit disoriented by the entire experience.
The moral of the story is, there are cops out there who are not just tolerant of CCWs and their holders, but actively friendly. We need to keep this in mind as part of the larger debate. And if I may say so, being a police officer in my town is no joke. We have one of the highest violent crime rates in the country. Much respect and appreciation to officer B. He is a credit to himself, his department and his profession.