Quote:
Originally Posted by JPhillips
Cam: But we wouldn't find it acceptable if police officers started shooting people because they believed they had the capacity to get a gun and fire it.
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That's true, and it wasn't what I was suggesting. I have a feeling we're mere sentences away from my metaphor awkwardly breaking down, but I'll give it a go regardless.
We know there's a gun. Let's (for the sake of the increasingly strained metaphor) say that the gun is on a table in the room with the police officer and the individual. The gun may even be in another room. Regardless, we know there's a gun. We know it's not a good thing for the individual to get the gun.
The officer may not shoot the suspect, but he most certainly doesn't allow him to saunter over to the table and pick up the gun, all the while telling the officer he's not going to do anything bad with it. Remember, this is a guy with a rap sheet (is the metaphor getting ridiculous yet?). We know he's responsible for violent crimes in the past. You don't let him get the gun, and yes, at some point that means you will have to physically use the tools at your disposal to prevent him from doing so.