The Police Are Not Obligated To Help You

There are many good reasons for the 2nd Amendment to exist.  The original reason was so that the people had access to tools t hey would need in case they wanted to overthrow a tyrannical government.  This is still a good and valid reason but these days, we still need a 2nd Amendment so we can have the tools to protect ourselves.  Many people believe that the police are a simple phone call away so we don’t need guns to protect ourselves.  I beg to differ…unfortunately, most of the time the police will NOT be there to protect you.  They can’t be everywhere at once and it isn’t even their job to protect individuals!

You need to understand that nationwide there are about 300 million American citizens and only about 500,000 police officers, only about 125,000 on duty at any given time.  An average police response time in an urban area is about 15 minutes, could be 45 minutes or longer in a rural area.  A spectacular response time  would be 5 minutes or less.  Although, in most violent situations, this is about 4 min. 30 sec. too late.

You have a fire extinguisher at home, don’ you?  If your a responsible person, you most likely have several.  Why?  Why wouldn’t you just call the fire department in case of a fire?  Obviously, firemen can’t be everywhere at once.  You are going to at least try to contain the situation before help arrives.  The same concept applies to firearms.

I made a comment earlier that it is not the job of the police officers to protect you, well what did I mean by that?  I mean exactly what I said.  There have been many court cases throughout American history that says exactly that.    Lets have a look at Linda Riss v. City of New York.  Linda was an attractive young woman who had recently gotten engaged to be married.  Her ex has been threatening her for the last 6 months, wanting her back.  Linda, fearing for her life,  had repeatedly asked for help from the police.  She was constantly turned down.  Also, because of State law, it is illegal to carry a weapon in New York City.  One night after her engagement party, her ex threw acid in her face.  She was blinded and disfigured.

Riss attempted to sue the police for not helping her but the court found that the police were under no obligation to protect her.  Their job is law enforcement, not personal protection.  The same was found in these cases:  DeShaney v. Winnebago County, Ford v. Town of Grafton, and  Warren v. D.C.  You need to take responsibility for your own personal protection.  Put together a system…training, weapons, action plans, etc.  Firearms may not be  a part of your plan and that’s ok.  There are other options such as tasers and pepper spray.  I believe that in certain situations these devices may not be adequate  for stopping some criminals.  However, you need to put together a system that works best for you.  Stay safe out there!