11 Jan 23
“Before all else, be armed!”
Niccolo Machiavelli
Early today, just months after three Parisians were murdered and three others seriously injured when a terrorist started shooting randomly at a local Kurdish cultural center, another terrorist, this time using a “home-made bladed weapon,” precipitously attacked innocent Parisians at a busy Paris train station.
Six innocents seriously injured this time!
Many more would doubtlessly have been wounded/murdered were it not for incisive action on the part of an armed, off-watch French police officer, who just happened to be returning home from his shift.
Seeing what was going on, this heroic officer immediately drew his pistol and gunned-down the terrorist, without hesitation! The terrorist was subsequently transported to a local hospital but is not expected to survive.
The officer was not injured.
Over the past year or so, French police officers have been allowed to go armed at all times, on-watch, and off. Heretofore, they were not, but the current (obvious) terrorist situation prompted the French Interior Minister to change the rules, just in time, as it turns out, for all those innocent Parisians at the train station today!
My comment: For today’s LEO, here or there, there is no such status as “off-duty!”
In 2023, with violent criminals/terrorists/extremists popping-up like jacks-in-boxes, our stark choice is either to carry constantly, or be carried (one last time)!
We may be “off-watch”
We’re never “off-duty!”
“The Art of War teaches us to rely, not on the calculated likelihood of an enemy’s coming or not, but on our
continual readiness to receive him, no matter what he does.”
Sun Tzu
/John
