Mumbai's Harsh Lesson on Gun Control

American Thinker ^ | December 10, 2008 | Abhijeet Singh

[neverdem]

People across the globe watched in shock as the terror attack on Mumbai unfolded on television screens everywhere. The meticulous planning and the sheer audacity of the attacks stunned the world and, in the final analysis, set the stage for a pure human tragedy: 195 lives lost, many times that number seriously injured, and hundreds of families scarred forever.

[barb-tex]

Yes Police are “better armed and trained”. but the videos of armed attackers seem to indicate they are trained to cower behind trees and cars till the Gun Person commits sucide as they usually do. True they can kill a lot of people till stopped but we can’t depend on the Police to stop them. QED.
The Police seem to say “People are getting killed out there, and you expect me to go out there and stop the killing”.
barbra ann

[Retired COB]

Densely populated areas are particularly vulnerable, so armed citizens would be limited to overcome a broad-based terrorist attack, but yes, some kind of resistance would be, at least, somewhat effective in reducing the carnage.

So when they come to the US, their first targets are going to be Washington, DC and New York City. I'm glad I'm in West Virginia!

[Copernicus]

I’m all for guns, but let’s face it: 10 people on a mission can kill a lot of people, anywhere.

Respectfully disagree. Charles Whitman was pinned down almost immediately by return fire from ordinary citizens-electricians and candlestick makers.

His death and injury toll was one half that of the toll in the gun free paradise of Virginia Tech forty years later.

Best regards,

[PapaBear3625]

There were armed policemen hiding all around the station but none of them did anything. At one point, I ran up to them and told them to use their weapons. I said, "Shoot them, they're sitting ducks!" but they just didn't shoot back. I told some policemen the gunmen had moved towards the rear of the station but they refused to follow them. What is the point if having policemen with guns if they refuse to use them? I only wish I had a gun rather than a camera.

I've encountered this with some police I've talked to. Some are true "sheepdogs", but many are just civil service employees who just happen to have to carry a gun around as part of their equipment load. For too many cops, their primary objective is to collect their pension while taking as few risks (physical or bureaucratic) as possible.

[walford]

I daresay that an operation like that could not have happened in Israel — nor in Texas. Too many of the locals who were taken hostage would have been packing heat for it to have gotten very far. The terrorists knew that they had nothing to fear from the civilians in Bombay.

And if this took place in Europe [Britain and the Continent], the death toll would have been higher.

[neverdem]

I've encountered this with some police I've talked to. Some are true "sheepdogs", but many are just civil service employees who just happen to have to carry a gun around as part of their equipment load. For too many cops, their primary objective is to collect their pension while taking as few risks (physical or bureaucratic) as possible.

Cops just had 577 rifles, hadn't fired in 10 yrs

They were supposed to have had 30 rounds. I wonder if they had any?

[Cacique]

What the author fails to understand is that oligarchies cannot tolerate an armed population. It’s difficult to enslave and take away the liberties of a helpless people. This incident in Mumbai will be used by the forces of government to impose more stringent regulations in the name of safety that will further enslave the populace.

[period end of story]

If you'd like to stand around confused, and be a target, that's your choice.

Where did you come up with that crapola?

[period end of story]

A good shot with a pistol could have plugged one of the murderers.

Woulda, coulda, shoulda....

[Cobra64]

Inference that people should not own firearms, and wait for the police to protect you when a madman is shooting at you.

[period end of story]

Inference that people should not own firearms, and wait for the police to protect you when a madman is shooting at you.

Incorrectly.

[sickofthem]

http://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/7irox/mumbai_attacks_honest_mumbai_ex_police_officer/ The folks that were actually supposed to used the guns in this case were in pretty bad shape. Sad. summary of the article I linked above, comments on the episode by an ex-police officer of Mumbai:

• Ultimately who caught the terrorist? It was the conventional havaldar with his rudimentary weapons
• Yes, the bullets pierced thru the vests. they were put on dummies and bullets were fired from AK-47 and Self Loading Rifles. Most bullets pierced through the jackets. It is a matter of record. Such a report was sent and yet they went ahead with the purchase.
• There is no shortage of sten guns, carbines, which are automatic weapons but have a shorter range, with the police. These are carried for VIP security. Officers are given 9mm automatic pistols. There is no problem with a lack of weapons in the armoury. The problem is not using them. The highest officer who signed on those files and okayed the bullet-proof jackets after they were declared sub-standard should be sacked.
• It is compulsory for every constable to go for firing every year. This is more or less followed. A constable can miss one year, but the next year he has to because a record is kept and reviewed every month. By the year-end, constables are checked if they have completed it.
• Everything is set in place, but the man who is there to man the police force, his motivation is lacking.
• If an officer is honest and inefficient, he can still be tolerated and dumped in a bad place. But if he is honest and sternly active, he is never posted to consequential positions. He will always be posted in a non executive charge. Most of the time and energy of corrupt officers goes in disposing off their money. A corrupt mind can never be an efficient mind. Though intrinsically he may be an efficient person, if he takes to corruption, his efficiency and dedication will get marginalised.
• The Customs allowed silver to be smuggled. Along with this came RDX and 300 people lost their lives and 500 lost their limbs. So it is a crime against humanity.
• An ATS posting, and people will scorn you and say -- 'what wrong have you done that you have been posted there?' So all these things are already there, if the police chief is not using it, what can be done?
• weapons, training, intelligence, boats for patrolling and yet none of them were used because the minds of the seniors was elsewhere.