Not ‘outgunned’

Are the police "outgunned"? According to Gov. Ed Rendell, they are ("Rendell Prods Lawmakers on Gun Control," April 15). Basing his latest comment largely on the police tragedy of recent event in Pittsburgh, the governor would presumably want the public to know that the bad actors have more and better firepower than the police. From what I (or any observant citizen) could see from the television coverage accorded the shootout in Stanton Heights, the SWAT men in full tactical gear and the armored SWAT vehicle offered sufficient reassurance that the cops could bring to bear sufficient firepower to overcome any bad actor.

On the other hand, if the police are outgunned, whose fault is that? Who provides funds and direction for equipping our police forces? Hmmm. Could it be the government? If that's the case, perhaps our more civic-minded gun owners might want to donate their assault rifles to the police to better equip them.

It's always an easy claim that "assault weapons" are the problem. To claim that the police are outgunned (especially in referring to the Pittsburgh tragedy) is patently false and preys on a general public ignorance of firearms, the police department and the government. As has been officially admitted, it was a communications error that allowed three savvy police officers to go into harm's way without knowing what danger was ahead. If they had been properly informed of weapons involved, the outcome could well have been a far better one for the police.

  

JAMES D. YOUNG

Collier