CCW permits from a law enforcement perspective

As a law enforcement professional I strongly support the right of a citizen to carry a firearm for protection of themselves and others. I believe that this is not only a right but a responsibility that should be taken very seriously. You are ultimately responsible for the safety of yourself and your family.

Don't let anyone tell you that the police are responsible for your safety because that simply is not true. When I started in law enforcement we averaged about 1 officer for every 1200 citizens. Now that number is more like 1 officer for every 1500. Can you ensure the safety of 1500 people? Neither can I. Also remember that of those 1500 people that need protection a significant number of them are criminals who will not cooperate with you and will actively try to harm the others. Try to remember that the original and often forgotten role of the police is to punish those who break the law. Working in a bad part of town this really becomes clear when you go days on end without ever having any contact with a decent, law abiding citizen. But I am getting off topic.

I remember in my patrol car driving days when I would make a traffic stop and make the gut wrenching walk to the drivers window. If you think you are nervous when you get pulled over, think about what its like from the other end. Not only are you worried about what the occupants of the car are doing (reaching for a gun, hiding dope, getting ready to run) but also about the cars coming up behind you that can kill you just as dead as a bullet but, YOU CANNOT LOOK OUT FOR THEM because you can't take your eyes of the occupants of the car you just pulled over.

Imagine the relief when the driver hands you a drivers license and a CCW permit. Those two things tell you a lot about a person. One, I can know for certain who this person is and two, this person has subjected themselves to a criminal background check and the State has said yes, we trust you with a concealed weapon. This is probably not a bad guy here.

I know for me personally these folks were usually handed back their drivers license and CCW permit, thanked for taking responsibility for their own safety and sent on their way. I know for me a traffic stop was never about just writting a ticket, but about finding the bad folks so I could help them get into jail. A traffic violation is a little thing that helps you find the big things.

In the years I have been in law enforcement I have had only one bad encounter with a CCW holder. But he was also a private investigator.......and he was drunk. But that story is best left for some other time.

Update 07/14/08: I see from the comments that I have caused some controversy over my assertion that the original role of the police is to punish those that break the law. I fear that I have misspoke. That thought would be better expressed "bring to punishment" those that break the law. Please see the insightful commentary from JPG in the comments. I agree that punishment of offenders is reserved for the judiciary although I do feel that it is so far removed from the commission of the offense that the offender may not even associate the two. Often the only "perceived" punishment that offenders recognize is the inconvenience of getting caught, going to jail, getting interrogated by a detective or getting a warrant issued for them. I should have been more careful in my wording.