‘I Need You in the Game’: Wis. Sheriff Tells Residents to Learn How to Use a Gun to Defend Themselves
Crime
‘I Need You in the Game’: Wis. Sheriff Tells Residents to Learn How to Use a Gun to Defend Themselves
n this Oct. 11, 2012 file photo, Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke talks during a budget hearing in Milwaukee, Wis. The Wisconsin sheriff said he released an ad calling on residents to defend themselves because the old model of having a citizen call 911 and wait for help isn’t always the best option. (AP)
Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke Jr. has a message for residents: learn how to use a gun.
With budget cutbacks putting a strain on law enforcement, simply calling 911 might not cut it in a life-or-death or situation, Clarke said in a new radio ad this month. Safety is “no longer a spectator sport,” he says. “I need you in the game.”
“With officers laid off and furloughed, simply calling 911 and waiting is no longer your best option,” Clark adds. “You can beg for mercy from a violent criminal, hide under the bed, or you can fight back. But are you prepared?”
“Consider taking a certified safety course in handling a firearm so you can defend yourself until we get there. You have a duty to protect yourself and your family. We’re partners now. Can I count on you?” he asks.
The spot has quickly earned criticism, including from the Milwaukee Deputy Sheriffs’ Association and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.
Milwaukee Deputy Sheriffs’ Association president Roy Felber told the Associated Press it sounds like a call to vigilantism, while Barrett’s spokeswoman said it sounded like Clarke was “auditioning for the next Dirty Harry movie.”
But Clarke told the AP he simply wants people to know what their options are in protecting themselves.
“I’m not telling you to `Hey, pick up a gun and blast away,’” he said. “People need to know what they are doing if they chose that method – to defend themselves.”
He said self-defense may not be for everyone, but that people who want to know how should be trained properly. After budget cuts forced him to lay off 48 deputies last year, he realized he had an “untapped reserve” — the public.
“People are responsible to play a role in their own safety, with the help of law enforcement,” Clarke said. “I’m here to do my part, but we have fewer and fewer resources. We’re not omnipresent, and we have to stop giving people that impression.”
James Fendry, director of the Wisconsin Pro Gun Movement, praised the ad, telling Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “It’s never been a great option (calling 911). Unless you can take care of yourself, you’re kind of SOL.”
Well this is why I live in the hood. No one is brave enough to break into my house. Seriously, there was a man running away from the cops and he was planning his escape through my yard...yeah...I think he realized when he was met with pit bull and a woman with a bloody knife and apron he changed his plans...don't make my dogs bark while I'm cutting meat...*shrug* he was arrested to say the least.
Will you wear that leather bra like last time? *crosses fingers and hopes for a picture*
Quoting mandaday:
My weapon of choice is the bow and arrow. My husband jokes that if someone breaks into our house and finds themselves confronted by a little redhead taking aim at them, they may freak out thinking they had stumbled into a Disney movie.
Quoting Woodbabe:If you can protect your family with a baseball bat against an armed intruder, by all means do it. He's endorsing people taking charge of their own protection instead of depending on the govt. to do it for them.
Quoting lga1965:Oh yes, of course, what we need is MORE guns. Uh huh.
If its unladylike, fattening or fun, I'm in!
I've never heard of this man, but good for him! So many people are critcizing first responders because it took them 5 minutes to get to a home and someone died.
1. teach your kids not to call 911
2. don't call 911 because your neighbors kids left bikes in their front yard (sorry for venting that)
3. come up with a plan of action for those fragile moments before the police arrive!
Quoting GraceStrickland:I've never heard of this man, but good for him! So many people are critcizing first responders because it took them 5 minutes to get to a home and someone died.
1. teach your kids not to call 911
2. don't call 911 because your neighbors kids left bikes in their front yard (sorry for venting that)
3. come up with a plan of action for those fragile moments before the police arrive!
They have just started a new service here where you call 311 for non-emergency things you need help with.
Quoting OneToughMami:
Don't call 911 for a stubbed toe or pinched finger
Quoting GraceStrickland:I've never heard of this man, but good for him! So many people are critcizing first responders because it took them 5 minutes to get to a home and someone died.
1. teach your kids not to call 911
2. don't call 911 because your neighbors kids left bikes in their front yard (sorry for venting that)
3. come up with a plan of action for those fragile moments before the police arrive!
I can't find the hoopla. He is just using common sense..oh wait..haha..THAT is the hoopla! People survived for a long time without 911...still do in a lot of the country. They do it by taking responsiblity for their own safety.
I think his PSA alone will help deter some criminal behavior.
That sounds about right.
Quoting yourspecialkid:I can't find the hoopla. He is just using common sense..oh wait..haha..THAT is the hoopla! People survived for a long time without 911...still do in a lot of the country. They do it by taking responsiblity for their own safety.
I think his PSA alone will help deter some criminal behavior.
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- candlegal
on Jan. 26, 2013 at 10:02 PM