Quote Originally Posted by Woodsheal
The courts have ruled numerous times that the police have no legal responsibility to "protect" anybody. Their job is to track down and apprehend the perpetrators of crimes. Protecting one's self, one's family,and one's property is the responsibilty of the private citizen.
That's it exactly! Until a crime is committed, the police have no authority. Of course, they can act on a crime in progress, but unless they happen to already be there, it's too late to call them. So a person's first line of defense is himself. The problem comes from well-meaning but misguided people who try to disarm the common citizen, making it impossible to defend oneself when the situation arises.

Are there people who shouldn't be armed? You know it. But the vast majority of people are decent and law-abiding, so it doesn't seem right to me to disarm them, you know - throw the baby out with the bathwater. Now I do think that anyone who wishes to arm himself should make sure he knows how to use the weapon or he's as big a danger to himself.