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maybe he's not a gun guy...and hates going to the range
It was a Provincetown gun. the bore was probably way oversized for the original caliber, and therefore underpowered.
It was a Provincetown gun. the bore was probably way oversized for the original caliber, and therefore underpowered.
What the hell is a "summer patrolman"? Is it like a summer intern?
Or is it something like this?
View attachment 5585
If I were tasked with shooting something, why not have some fun doing it?
Most police dont have a clue how to humanly put down any animal especially something as small as a cat.
5) I saw a police officer miss a skunk that was sitting still. He shot it at a distance of about 20 feet with a .22 rifle, so not all officers are capable of hitting a quarter sized target with a handgun, and that's what you'd need to guarantee a hit to the central nervous system.
What the hell is a "summer patrolman"? Is it like a summer intern?
Or is it something like this?
View attachment 5585
Really? I'm pretty sure if you concentrated just a little bit you can hit it pretty easily. I think most people here could do a 4" target at 30 feet pretty easily.
Sure, but I didn't say 30 feet, I said "at close range on the ground". I'm making an assumption that the cat was basically at his feet (or more likely a few feet away on a mound of dirt, given that it was a DPW garage). This scenario could result in a miss due to what the Chief described as "lines of sight". 30 feet would be much more in line with what an Officer (and the rest of us) normally train at. I can't speak for anyone else, but I've never tried hitting a very small target (ie: critical hit on a cat) with a handgun at very close ranges (afaik, most close-in training is center-of-mass on a human-sized target)
I can easily picture the cop lining up what he thought was a perfect, humane shot based on his practice at normal distances, and have the round land either low or high.
If you have ever tried to dispatch a cat with a gun of any kind you will know that they are very hard to kill. They are a tough animal and must have a brain the size of a b-b. Being raised on a farm I have had my share of incidences where we wanted an animal put down. Cats are the hardest you can bet!
. . . parallax exists in a big way if you use your sights at close in distances. They teach "point shooting" for "bad breath" distances when dealing with a perp, but unless you shoot at contact distances to an animal (AND KNOW the vital locations), it could account for hits that miss vital organs. I won't speak for Rich, but I think that was the point he was trying to make.
For what it's worth I know that certain towns, such as Arlington, do not allow officers to use their side arms to euthanize wound animals. They are instructed to use the shotguns in their patrol cars.
4 shots. Apparently the cat had already used up 5 lives.
I saw a badly injured opposum on the road in a metrowest town close to rt.128 several years ago at night. I called the local PD to let them know and the sarcastic response was "What do you want us to do? Shoot it?" I said that or transport by the animal control officer was exactly what I expected.
So I waited about 20 minutes expecting a cop, but public works showed up and smashed it with a shovel, then ran over it with his truck.
that was MUCH more humane.
*sigh*