THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 13, 1995 TAG: 9507130380
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Guy Friddell
LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines
As many more Virginians begin carrying concealed weapons, surely we can agree with Norfolk Judge Lydia Taylor that owners of guns should be trained in their safe use.
Otherwise, fiddling around, they are a danger to all about them.
The instruction should be rigorous and it will be expensive, just one more exacting function of government against which so many inveigh these days.
The heaviest burden from the rush for concealed arms will fall upon the shoulders of our overworked, underpaid police.
Instead of focusing on criminals, officers also must be on the qui vive for would-be Matt Dillons coming out in the streets of Dodge.
That became plain during a recent CBS interview with Major Bill Brown of the Fairfax County police. His grasp of what looms for the police so impressed me that I telephoned him for more insights.
One concern, Major Brown said, is how these armed citizens are going to interact, as when they engage in verbal brawls in shopping centers after one driver cuts off another to hijack a parking place.
The ensuing hot exchange of words could heighten if one, who happens to be armed, pulls a gun to try to cow the other, who comes up with his own sidearm.
There the two are in a face-off, while bystanders dive for cover or draw their own guns for protection.
One impatient twitch on the trigger and the run-in could escalate into a shootout rivaling that of the OK Corral.
The police, coming upon that scene, will not be able to act on instinct. They will have to think much more critically than formerly, the major said, in trying to sort out, among all those drawn guns, who are the aggressors and who are the victims.
Yet another complicating factor will be the increasing 911 calls from clerks and cashiers to report suspicious characters upon glimpsing a gun under a coat or in a purse when customers are paying bills.
In these days of drug-crazed drivers, police have been cautious in approaching a killing zone around cars. That the sense of danger will increase now is evident from a pamphlet on how drivers with concealed weapons should behave upon being approached by police. Among the tips:
1. LISTEN! Obey all of the officer's commands.
2. Keep your hands clearly visible.
3. Make every movement slowly.
4. Verbally inform the officer of the location of the weapon and the permit.
The guidelines also include this caution: ``The mere presence of a firearm poses a unique stress to police officers. Regardless of your intention, never display, brandish or retrieve a firearm when an officer is present.''
Life, lest we die, seems about to become ever so much more complicated. by CNB