Gardai should be armed?

Temptamperu

Having Police armed will just lead to escalation on the street they have guns the scum will get guns. We have armed response units and thats good enough if you ask me.

Ditch

thecornflake wrote: »

They're too quiet. Gun or no gun any cop in the states will demand respect.

Cops in the states take "J walking" very seriously and make an example of you if you do it, compare this to a guard I saw a few years back. A man crossed Eden quay without a green man and with a guard directing traffic. She shouted at the man who was in a suit and he just ignored her and walked straight past her.She then turned around as he was walking past her and infront of everyone she did a weird dance/tantrum move like a child, rolled her eyes up to heaven and continued on.

I couldn't take her seriously. Could you ?

Too right! She should have been armed. Then she could've whipped out her Sig Saur and popped a Glazer Safety round into the back of his arrogantly retreating head and blown his fucking eyeballs out onto the road!

Wow! Yeah. That'd have earned her Big respects ~ fo sho, bradda! :cool:

Italia

With all due respect, your original comment made no mention of what you're saying now.
My response was directed at your comment. So my question stands.

The fact that the gardai you've worked with don't want a firearm is a positive thing, but the comments in your last post seem to indicate that you consider them incapable of handling one. I find that very condescending. What you're basically saying, is that the gardai are incompetent.
I would tend to believe the opposite and any deficiencies can be resolved by training.

As I said, I've served for over 22yrs in one of the most violent cities in the world and I've only ever used my weapon 2x. I don't advocate the use of firearms at all, but I can tell you that in both those instances, if I didn't have a firearm, I'd be dead.

I've been here in Ireland for about 12yrs, and I can tell you without a shadow of doubt that since I' arrived, the way criminals operate have changed. You're no longer living in an insulated cocoon as in the past. Criminals DON'T respect life or property and have as much compulsion in stabbing or shooting you, as you'd have in squashing a bug. Just read the newspapers on any given day if you don't believe me.
I'm sorry to say this, but the playing field has changed and if the gardai don't get along with the times, they'll find it very difficult to catch up.

pmcmahon wrote: »

I have spent time working with the gardaí
and have never met a single member who wishes to be armed,holding a gun is holding a weapon that could be used against you,opening firefights isn't policing.

jive

No I don't think you're average run of the mill guard should be armed. I think if they can't handle/file a single piece of paper without losing the fúcking thing then they can't be trusted with a fúcking gun, jesus. They have the armed response unit and the ERU, it'd be a nightmare living in a nation where fat joe soap down at the station eating his roll is equipped with a firearm. While there are undoubtedly good guards who do a good job, there are also an absolute rake of guards who lack professionalism who can't be trusted with such power on top of the power they already have. Most of the people they meet won't have guns and won't be as well equipped as they are and for the scum who do have guns all I have to say is that's an occupational hazard and I'd hope the armed response unit would whipe them out before anything serious happened.

Odysseus

Mickeroo wrote: »

Indeed we are, but making instruments with no other function than to kill people freely available to buy is not a good way to go about making the country safer.

I have 3 that have sporting uses, yes I could kill someone with them, but there are other reasons for gun ownership, just look at the shooting forum.

Bosco boy

Odysseus wrote: »

Mickeroo wrote: »

Indeed we are, but making instruments with no other function than to kill people freely available to buy is not a good way to go about making the country safer.

I have 3 that have sporting uses, yes I could kill someone with them, but there are other reasons for gun ownership, just look at the shooting forum.

people are worried about arming gardai! What about all the joe soap tits who have legally held firearms and walter Mitty ideas, firearm laws are way to lax in this country and gun lobby too strong. It's only a matter of time before we have our own mass shooting incident

Witcher

Bosco boy wrote: »

people are worried about arming gardai! What about all the joe soap tits who have legally held firearms and walter Mitty ideas, firearm laws are way to lax in this country and gun lobby too strong. It's only a matter of time before we have our own mass shooting incident

:rolleyes:
Bit sensationalist there no? Firearms laws are far from lax here, they're ridiculous, even <12ft/lb air rifles require a firearms licence here, in the UK they don't. Have you ever actually gone through the process of licencing a firearm in this country?

robman60

The Gardaí should definitely be armed. It's actually incredible how easily someone could perpetrate something like a high school massacre in this country. It would literally take hours until suitable personnel would arrive on the scene simply because only the army would be able to "keep the peace" if things got really serious.

We don't need US-style gun availability, just an appropriate amount.


Edit: What I wrote above has relevance I feel, but you'd definitely get some dopes who'd feel the ego boost of owning a gun. To be honest, I feel most guards are too incompotent to sign a slip of paper so a gun is probably not too advisable...

Tayla

robman60 wrote: »

The Gardaí should definitely be armed. It's actually incredible how easily someone could perpetrate something like a high school massacre in this country. It would literally take hours until suitable personnel would arrive on the scene simply because only the army would be able to "keep the peace" if things got really serious.

Not really a very supportive statement for the gardai should have guns argument IMO. Can you seriously imagine any guard you've ever come across being able to diffuse a situation like that? Most guards in this country would be useless in a scenario like that even with guns.

It wasn't me!

Bosco boy wrote: »

people are worried about arming gardai! What about all the joe soap tits who have legally held firearms and walter Mitty ideas, firearm laws are way to lax in this country and gun lobby too strong. It's only a matter of time before we have our own mass shooting incident

Bollocks. Ours are about as restrictive as anywhere in the world, and gun lobby? What is this magical fairy creature of which you speak?

Bosco boy

It wasn't me! wrote: »

Bosco boy wrote: »

people are worried about arming gardai! What about all the joe soap tits who have legally held firearms and walter Mitty ideas, firearm laws are way to lax in this country and gun lobby too strong. It's only a matter of time before we have our own mass shooting incident

Bollocks. Ours are about as restrictive as anywhere in the world, and gun lobby? What is this magical fairy creature of which you speak?

ssshhhhh! There's an elephant in the room, it's that magical creature!

Dohnny Jepp

I tihnk the gardai should be armed. . . however i know people in the gardai and i'd sooner trust a 5 year old boy with a firearm than them.

Paully D

They couldn't handle a spud gun.

johnny_cash

Dohnny Jepp wrote: »

I tihnk the gardai should be armed. . . however i know people in the gardai and i'd sooner trust a 5 year old boy with a firearm than them.

I don't see a problem with giving these guys guns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8k1d8uX9Gw

LighterGuy

Dohnny Jepp wrote: »

I tihnk the gardai should be armed. . . however i know people in the gardai and i'd sooner trust a 5 year old boy with a firearm than them.

Exactly.
On the surface Gardai should be armed. Being apart of the police will always be classed as a dangerous job. It comes with it.

But on the flip side, the more realistic side, you give the gardai guns in this country? ... "Instances" will happen. You will certainly have cases of itchy trigger fingers.

But its everything too. The media especially will try to turn every single thing into an anti-gardi-gun issue :rolleyes: .. you'd get your average jowblow saying they shouldnt be armed. But of course if someone came running after them with a knife they'd ring the guards first thing wanting them to deal with it ... As to how? "nothing to do with me, its their job" :rolleyes:

Balfie

I remember watching a show recently, where a man drove a jeep at a cop in the states, he was riddled with bullets. (the narrator used them words). Over here not too long ago, a man drove a car at a Garda in donegal killing him, and he was given a 7 year sentence for man slaughter. If that was the cops in the states he would have been stopped before the Garda lost his life. It should be the same here. Criminals have started to use guns more an more in this country, so our Garda were given stab vests an pepper spray. Just after the stab vests were issued a sgt garda from Sundrive station in Crumlin was shot at with a shot gun on monasterboyce road in Crumlin. The only thing that saved his life was that he seen the car coming with the gun out the window turned to his side an dropped,.

Basically, yes, gardai should be armed, handing them a stab vest an pepper spray when criminals are armed with shot guns, sub machine guns an god knows what kind of pistols is a joke.

Bosco boy

johnny_cash wrote: »

Dohnny Jepp wrote: »

I tihnk the gardai should be armed. . . however i know people in the gardai and i'd sooner trust a 5 year old boy with a firearm than them.

I don't see a problem with giving these guys guns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8k1d8uX9Gw

they are actors!

Shenshen

LC2010HIS wrote: »

I read an article earlier in a newspaper and it really got me thinking.
They were arguing the Gardai are not taken seriously because they are unarmed!.

I completely agree. I do believe Gardai should be armed with guns. But at the same time, Im not nodding for widespread gun use.

I dont like how Gardai are unarmed and have an aul chat with a suspect etc.
Its very hard to take seriously!

I dont understand why they are unarmed to be honest.


What does everyone else think?

I am from a country where every policeman is armed.

Firstly, no, they are not being taken ANY more seriously.
Secondly, criminals are more dangerous, since they feel the need to arm themselves up to the teeth, because the police are armed.
And thirdly, police have in the past harmed and killed innocent bystanders when overreacting to any tense situation. In my country, children have been shot by the police while waiting for a train.

I like the fact that most Gardai here are not armed, it makes me feel a lot safer than I ever felt back in Germany.

scooby2791

Shenshen wrote: »

I am from a country where every policeman is armed.

Firstly, no, they are not being taken ANY more seriously.
Secondly, criminals are more dangerous, since they feel the need to arm themselves up to the teeth, because the police are armed.
And thirdly, police have in the past harmed and killed innocent bystanders when overreacting to any tense situation. In my country, children have been shot by the police while waiting for a train.

I like the fact that most Gardai here are not armed, it makes me feel a lot safer than I ever felt back in Germany.

This is exactly right. If every Garda in Ireland becomes armed, all it does is make criminals pick up more arms aswel. Right now we have very capable Regional Support Units which are armed aswel as a highly trained Emergency Response Unit which has served its purpose very well. Gun crime in America is fairly out of control and thats the last thing we need to be happening here.

Celly Smunt

Italia wrote: »

With all due respect, your original comment made no mention of what you're saying now.
My response was directed at your comment. So my question stands.

The fact that the gardai you've worked with don't want a firearm is a positive thing, but the comments in your last post seem to indicate that you consider them incapable of handling one. I find that very condescending. What you're basically saying, is that the gardai are incompetent.
I would tend to believe the opposite and any deficiencies can be resolved by training.

As I said, I've served for over 22yrs in one of the most violent cities in the world and I've only ever used my weapon 2x. I don't advocate the use of firearms at all, but I can tell you that in both those instances, if I didn't have a firearm, I'd be dead.

I've been here in Ireland for about 12yrs, and I can tell you without a shadow of doubt that since I' arrived, the way criminals operate have changed. You're no longer living in an insulated cocoon as in the past. Criminals DON'T respect life or property and have as much compulsion in stabbing or shooting you, as you'd have in squashing a bug. Just read the newspapers on any given day if you don't believe me.
I'm sorry to say this, but the playing field has changed and if the gardai don't get along with the times, they'll find it very difficult to catch up.

my original comment still stands,with guns on the street held by criminals or gardaí,it's still a step that any citizen could claim a fire arm by force,for one if this was to come in it would mean that Gardaí wouldn't have solo patrols thus lowering effciency due to the force not being able to span as much of an area
as they would by single partols

as for your second part i totally agree,criminals have defo stepped up in terms of violence and disregard for holding a lethal weapon,with this however i would propose a different corps to be formed to combat this through the defence force not the Gardaí,something along the lines of the Royal Military Police,and since Ireland doesn't deploy many army personnel it could almost guarantee a large number of personnel on the Island at all times.

Mrmoe

It makes no sense for regular gardai to be armed. They already possess enough tools to deal with violence in addition to the ERU. The cost involved and the requisite training would impact on the level of service that they can provide. If criminals were targeting innocent members of the public with firearms then it could be justified but generally they just target their own kind.