or maybe he was just a prick...But I will not include what department it was. Saturday early morning, I had to be a work early (6am). I was gasing up and hopped out to get a cup of coffee. Infront of me was a LEO ordering a rather large order. I noticed he had a rather new duty belt and cuff case all nice and shiney then I noticed a Glock either 19 or 17 so while waiting he looked at me and i said ''goodmorning'' and "is that a 19 or 17?'' He then said "19 or 17 what?'' I said "the glock, I'm looking to get a 19" He didnt like that too much and said "why do you need a glock?" Ha I knew this wasnt going to go well so I just grabbed my coffee and said "have a good day" and left.

When asked why do you need a glock, you should have said because my 1911 is too heavy and keeps falling out of my waistband

Cranky cause he didnt eat yet maybe. Low blood sugar makes people cranky

When asked why do you need a glock, you should have said because my 1911 is too heavy and keeps falling out of my waistband

 

"beacause I can't afford to hire a cop to protect me 24 hours a day..."

should have said the same reason you do....lol

Cranky cause he didnt eat yet maybe. Low blood sugar makes people cranky

I figured after when I was driving away...not broken in leathers and stuck ordering for what seemed liked the other guys....must be a rookie...ha

 

"beacause I can't afford to hire a cop to protect me 24 hours a day..."

yea I was trying to avoid any conversation with him after his remark

When asked why do you need a glock, you should have said because my 1911 is too heavy and keeps falling out of my waistband

didnt see this reply...and it made me laugh...probably would have walked back to my car with tons of back up just waiting lol

To some it's just a tool. Not everyone is a firearm enthusiast. You found the guy that only shoots it to qualify. I know I'm a cranky sob if I'm hungry so try to take it in stride.

Should have bought him a Snickers bar first!

Could be a house mouse, captains clerk..got a few of them at work.. He probably thought 17 or 19 was the amount of times hes gotten the brass coffee this week..

Who cares about his roscoe. I think most cops are uncomfortable talking to a stranger about his firearm.More importantly,What kind of donuts was he getting? Glazed? Unglazed with sprinkles? Racing stripes?

blue powder so you cant see it on the uniform

When asked why do you need a glock, you should have said because my 1911 is too heavy and keeps falling out of my waistband

Heck yeah, but only if he had a buddy videoing the reply (and didn't get his phone confiscated!). That would have been pretty funny.

 

Personally, I would have asked him if he was allowed to request a different sidearm, something nice, and not plastic............  

I think most cops are uncomfortable talking to a stranger about his firearm.

That hasn't been my experience.  Granted, only a handful of officers in public settings, but the last guy and I had a great conversation, so much so that I invited him to my range. 

To some it's just a tool. Not everyone is a firearm enthusiast. You found the guy that only shoots it to qualify. I know I'm a cranky sob if I'm hungry so try to take it in stride.

 

^^^^^THIS^^^^^

 

And to the OP:

 

And perhaps you could have used a better conversation starter, say like "Mornin', do you mind if I ask you a question about blah blah blah" and then see if he/she has the time to be like Malloy or Reed from Adam-12.  Maybe he's an A-Hole, or maybe he just did a double, got short sleep and is trying to finish waking-up for the next tour.  You'd be surprised by how many guys OTJ don't even know the model number of their sidearm, especially the ones that aren't Shootists / Firearms Instructors.  They might know the caliber and how many rounds it holds--that's IT!

 

I've run into both types of Cops.  The Shootists will talk yer ear off, and usually always are very pro second amendment, so those conversations can be very enlightening, because they open-up about what it's really like to be on the street.

 

Dave

Temple Emanuel always has a Cherry Hill police officer in the foyer after services. I remember once my 6 year old and I were walking out of Shabbat Services when my son noticed the SIG P229 on the police officer's hip.

 

He asked the police officer what kind of gun it was.  The police officer gave a kind of a "yeah, boys always ask this" kind of smile and said: 

"It's a Sig Sauer."

 

And G-d bless him, by beautiful son said: "Why won't your mommy let you get a Beretta?"

Temple Emanuel always has a Cherry Hill police officer in the foyer after services. I remember once my 6 year old and I were walking out of Shabbat Services when my son noticed the SIG P229 on the police officer's hip.

 

He asked the police officer what kind of gun it was.  The police officer gave a kind of a "yeah, boys always ask this" kind of smile and said: 

"It's a Sig Sauer."

 

And G-d bless him, by beautiful son said: "Why won't your mommy let you get a Beretta?"

 

 

Awesome. +1

Maybe he thought you were asking if it was a 17 or 19 oz coffee , the morning haze.

Temple Emanuel always has a Cherry Hill police officer in the foyer after services. I remember once my 6 year old and I were walking out of Shabbat Services when my son noticed the SIG P229 on the police officer's hip.

 

He asked the police officer what kind of gun it was.  The police officer gave a kind of a "yeah, boys always ask this" kind of smile and said: 

"It's a Sig Sauer."

 

And G-d bless him, by beautiful son said: "Why won't your mommy let you get a Beretta?"

awesome +2

My Mommy always told me "GET THE COLT"!

Maybe it was a 22 or 23 or a 31 or 32 and he had no frame of reference for your question.

 

It's like going up to a stranger with a '55 Mercury and asking him "Hey, how do you like your Bel Air?" He is going to look at you like you have 2 heads. (I did this yesterday at an ice cream store with my son. I really thought the guy had a '53 Bel Air and I have a soft spot for them as that was my first car and wanted to show it to my son.)

 

Also sounds like he was a boot (shiny gear and on a grub run). They drill into your head at the Academy to be wary of anyone fixated on your gizmo as that is a strong cue of a possible gun grab attempt. He was probably too new to have the experience to apply that lesson appropriately. So he became uncomfortable/defensive.

Edited July 1, 201313 yr by High Exposure

Ahhhhh, the old "why do you need......." line. Never seems to get old.

Maybe it was a 22 or 23 or a 31 or 32 and he had no frame of reference for your question.

 

Most likely - most PDs use .40 or .45 IIRC, not 9mm.

I generally ask that question when folks ask me about my Glock 22 so I can give them better advice.

 

"Why do you need a Glock?"

"Home defense."

"Oh, OK. Get an AR. Much better tool for the job."

 

Or

 

"Why do you need a Glock?"

"Starting to shoot in competitions."

"Cool, look at the Glock 34/35 models. They are great for comp shooting."

 

Also, in my experience how the "why do you need..." question is interpreted by the person I am talking to is predicated on their preconceived notion of why I am asking. For exame, those that expect a Cop to be a prick or think that their inquiry will strike a nerve will interpret the "why do you need...?" question as being arrogant regardless of how sincere the Officer is responding.

Most likely - most PDs use .40 or .45 IIRC, not 9mm.

 

NYC uses 9mm.  So does San Francisco, although with 147 grain freight trains.  But I don't think I've seen anybody in NJ with less than a .40 cal. 

blue powder so you cant see it on the uniform

Lol

NYC uses 9mm.  So does San Francisco, although with 147 grain freight trains.  But I don't think I've seen anybody in NJ with less than a .40 cal.

 

I think NJ State Police uses 9mm. I know Middlesex County Corrrections does as well.

when someone shows interest in firearms/asks me for advice/recommendation on firearms...my answers never start with  "why do you need....."....by default it infers that i feel they dont need....rather i instead usually respond along the lines of  "well that depends on your plans for the hg/sg/rifle, what is your intended use for the ..." but thats just me...lol

We use 9mm with 147 grain "freight trains"

"Oh, I don't need a gun..."

 

But I don't think I've seen anybody in NJ with less than a .40 cal. 

 

A few months ago I read in the local newspaper that one of the township PDs around here was trading in their 9mms for the latest trendy caliber. I forget if it was .40 or whatever.

 

My first thought was, "They still use 9mm????" But I see they still do.

 

(Not that there's anything wrong with that. I own a 9mm, myself.)

Temple Emanuel always has a Cherry Hill police officer in the foyer after services. I remember once my 6 year old and I were walking out of Shabbat Services when my son noticed the SIG P229 on the police officer's hip.

 

He asked the police officer what kind of gun it was.  The police officer gave a kind of a "yeah, boys always ask this" kind of smile and said: 

"It's a Sig Sauer."

 

And G-d bless him, by beautiful son said: "Why won't your mommy let you get a Beretta?"

Some one deserved a high five for that comment

 

Most likely - most PDs use .40 or .45 IIRC, not 9mm.

I know for a fact North Wildwood PD used 9mm up until 3-5 years ago.