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Officers Lose 243 Homeland Security Guns
In a screw up so big it could only be brought to you by the government or a famous athlete, 243 guns were lost by Homeland Security agencies between 2006 and 2008. 179 guns, were lost "because officers did not properly secure them," an inspector general report said. One of the worst examples of carelessness cites a customs officer who left a firearm in an idling vehicle in the parking lot of a convenience store. The vehicle was stolen while the officer was inside. "A local law enforcement officer later recovered the firearm from a suspected gang member and drug smuggler," the report said.
Actually, this is very common.
Yes, but law enforcement vehicles which need to be left running are equipped with a lockout switch which keeps the engine running and the accessories energized without allowing the vehicle to be driven
You start the car normally, turn on the lockout switch, and then remove the ignition key. The car can be shut off by turning the lockout switch off, but it cannot be restarted or driven without the ignition key.
There's never a good reason to leave the keys in a running and unattended vehicle. This is what the officer in question did.
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Oh, but when it comes to a cop, they better be more than perfect.
Yes. Exactly.
We're talking about *cops*. We entrust them with our lives, and give them power over us, so yes, I think it's reasonable to expect them to be a little less careless than the average slashbot such as yourself. If they can't handle those expections, they should #gtfo, because they don't deserve the responsibility they've been given.
We're also not talking about a set of keys, here. We're talking about a *firearm*. Last I checked, most people aren't dumb enough to lose their 38 special between the seat cushions of their couch.
Frankly, I'm shocked this even surprises you.
The DHS has a total of around 200,000 employees. The number of those who are actually armed (as opposed to sitting on their butts in an air conditioned office in D.C.) is significantly less. In a cursory search, I couldn't turn up any concrete numbers, but I imagine it's safe to say that probably 10% of DHS employees are actually "agents" of some type (Border Patrol, ATF, Air Marshals, etc). So that's 20,000 armed employees.
I don't see a 1% loss rate as "statistically insignificant" when you're talking about firearms lost through negligence.
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Yes, most people are. Try carrying a firearm 24/7 for a few decades. There's a significant chance you will lose one (or more) over the course of a career, no matter how careful you like to think you'll be.
We're human beings. We're flawed. We do that sort of thing. Some leave their coffees, their groceries, or even their CHILDREN on top of their cars when they drive off. Some forget to take the iron off the board when they leave and their house burns down. Some forget to put the bar in the window and their child falls out when the screen gives way. Some turn around to talk to their kid about some detail of the day and drift in front of a semi. And none of us are immune to this sort of thing. Some are a little better than others, but no one is perfect.
It's unfortunate, but there is no way any human being can remain utterly alert to a specific danger for days, much less decades. A moment of inattention when we are paying attention to something seemingly important, and something truly important gets missed. Fortunately, in most of these cases, nothing terribly bad happens. We miss a meeting, or drop our cell phone in the toilet, and we deal with it.
Most gun owners have the option of securing their firearms in a locked cabinet and only pulling them out when heading to the shooting range or to bag a critter for supper. Law enforcement doesn't have that option - they HAVE to have their firearm handy all the time. It's usually a job requirement. And that means some of them will get lost from time to time.
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well that puts a completely different spin on it. Hmmm. I can still believe the weapons being flattened by steam rollers, but now I wanna see proof of beavers eating weapons. Of course if you have proof of beavers eating people, I'd still be interested in that too.
I think he's referring to Plaxico Burris having a concealed weapon and accidentally shooting himself with it, resulting in gun charges against him.