JONESBORO, Ga. -- More judges in Georgia are packing guns following a shooting that left three people dead at an Atlanta courthouse.
The sheriff of one county said since then officers have given guns to eight Superior and State Court judges. Police said some judges have also asked for some firearms training.
State law allows judges to carry guns in court. And one judge said while a few of his colleagues have always carried weapons, more are now bringing their own guns to work.
One judge said he likes having his gun with him because it gives him "a great deal of confidence" that he'll complete the day.
Emphasis mine.
Yes, let's all carry guns with little or no mandated training so we too can pose threats to innocent bystanders as we empty our weapons Hollywood-style!
Gee and to think, body armor could achieve much the same thing without endangering anyone else around you.
And on a side note, the judges have asked the Police Department for the weapons instead of the Sherriff's department which, I believe, is responsible for the security of the courthouse. The winds of politics are a'blowin.
-Trevor
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
Well, to be fair, courthouse security may be the responsibility of the municipal PD depending on the level of court and the cooperative agreements in place among law enforcement agencies in the various jurisdictions.
I've met some judges I would not want to see armed because they would indeed become a danger to themselves or to innocent bystanders.
In TX, however, they were probably armed already.
I think the next time I'm asked to be on jury duty I'll ask if I can see the judge's latest target sheet from the pistol range. Unless it's got a nice tight grouping, I'm at least going to ask for a 2nd-row seat in the juror's box.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
How convenient. Now insteada disarming a deputy and killing folks, a criminal can get his weapon straight from a judge.
Wonderful logic. If the deputy hadn't had a gun, the murders wouldn't have happened. Therefore put more guns in the courtroom.
Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
If the deputy with the gun had been competent, the murders wouldn't have happened.
The only thing that the Atlanta crime proves is that an incompetent person with a gun is extremely dangerous, to themselves and others.
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
My uncle is a judge in South Florida. Occasionally he would get death threats from defendants or their friends, relatives, etc, and sometimes he would carry a gun. Of course, he's a former Secret Service agent, so he knows guns.
I see nothing wrong with judges legally carrying firearms. We trust them to decide matters of life and death, and they are sometimes targets as a result. Why shouldn't they legally defend themselves?
Posted by J T Stryker (Member # 6300) on :
quote: Police said some judges have also asked for some firearms TRAINING .
Or in other words they asked to become more competent with the firearms they are already carrying.
Posted by Glenn Arnold (Member # 3192) on :
It's an assumption that the judge will carry the gun into court with them.
The court should be well protected enough, and if it's not, security should be improved. I suspect these judges are more concerned that someone with a grudge will stalk them in their private life, where there is no security.
And yes, the fact that they are getting training is evidence that they are being responsible gun owners.
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :