Mike Mozur, Guest columnist
Published 8:26 a.m. CT April 5, 2021

Some days the newspaper provides true insight of real benefit to readers. Last week, the Pensacola News Journal did us all an important public service in that spirit.

The March 26 PNJ article “Santa Rosa deputies train with new AR-15s” was an eye opener, raising serious questions for politicians, local sheriffs, law enforcement leaders around the country, and our valued and respected police officers who risk their lives daily to maintain public safety to the benefit of us all.

The article quotes the Santa Rosa County Sheriff and lead firearms instructor. 

Article: SRSO deputies begin training with new AR-15 rifles purchased with savings thanks to CARES Act

First the Sheriff:  “You see what happened in Colorado. If we have an active shooter at a Walmart and a deputy comes in to neutralize the threat and he sees him all the way at the back of the store — 80 yards away — well, with a handgun you have to close that distance to get within range to kill him or neutralize the threat. But with this (referring to the AR-15) you stop right where you’re at, post up and you can take the shot.”

“You put somebody in a situation where somebody is shooting at them, adrenaline kicks in. You get that tunnel vision. Your heart is beating fast.” The sheriff estimated most deputies would need to be within 20 to 30 feet of a shooter to take them down with a handgun.

“While you’re closing that distance, people are dying, probably — if he’s got one of these (pointing at one of the new rifles) … How many people can you shoot in 10 seconds? You can shoot a few.”

The SRSO weapons trainer provided further clarity: “It (the AR15) is a very easy weapons platform to shoot. It is a force multiplier. If you do have to engage a bad guy, it is just much easier to shoot than a pistol. It has a better range. It has much better terminal ballistics.” The article goes on to explain that the AR15 produces muzzle velocities of about 2,700 feet per second and has a maximum effective range of about 500 yards.

I don’t know about you but reading those words left me coldly taken aback. So accurate a description of life in gun-rife America, and so accurate a description of the dangers, stresses, and fears that our police face continually, particularly when they are called to intervene in situations involving weapons of any type or firepower.

The article left me with many serious questions that scream for responsible, intelligent answers in the wake of Boulder, Atlanta, El Paso, Las Vegas, Orlando, Sutherland Springs, Virginia Tech, Parkland, Virginia Beach, Sandy Hook, Aurora, San Bernadino, Columbine and so many other mass shootings, and in view of so many deaths among rank-and-file law enforcement as well as the civilian population from individual incidents.

The questions for our local county and city police leadership, their counterparts around the country, and our political leaders: Why haven’t you supported national efforts to limit or ban assault weapons, the kind of weapons you are now buying in your effort to match the firepower of the “bad guys” as you and the NRA describe them?  Will you now?

Why haven’t you supported national efforts to require formal weapons training when purchasing a firearm (of whatever type) since your own organization requires more than two days of training to learn to use and deploy the AR15 responsibly, particularly in stressful situations?  Will you now?

Wouldn’t you prefer to be in a situation where you could spend $440,000 on priorities other than arming your officers with military grade weaponry?

What would you suggest to improve the following notional draft proposal to update the 18th century Second Amendment in view of the realities of 21st century American society and the murderous firepower available for easy purchase today: “Recognizing the imperative of ensuring public safety as well as the individual’s right to personal security in the home, citizens and legal residents of majority age who demonstrate responsible ability and judgment in handling firearms will have the right to possess duly registered small arms and hunting rifles.”?

So, thank you Pensacola New Journal and SRSO, for setting out so clearly what our political and law enforcement leaders need to do, namely to rein in the prevalence and destructive force of assault rifles and other firearms in society and ensure that all gun owners are trained to handle their weapons responsibly.

Mike Mozur is a retired U.S. State Department Senior Foreign Service officer and environmental executive who now lives in the Pensacola area.

Read or Share this story: https://www.pnj.com/story/opinion/2021/04/05/if-police-need-assault-rifles-combat-bad-guys-why-not-support-ban/4820962001/