For us retired LEO's it came down to Clinton's answer to put more cops on the street and his promise to do so while he was a P.I.T.A. POTUS. Thus HB 218 passed. I should say that the way it was written is very anemic at best and if you do happen to get involved in an active shooter incident and have to take someone down, you are left open and truley on your own.
Also, the fact that there is no "Federal Government" standard shooting course implimented in qualifying, you fall back on your state qualification course and that is enough to satisfy the requirements to carry as long as you qualify once a year on that course too.
I am awaiting an incident to happen that would really test the limitations and the huge holes in this HB.
Everyone has a right to defend themselves from injury and/or death as we all know. This even includes helping others that we may not even know.
What really scares this old guy is the intentions of having only the law enforcement people in this country armed. I have met many, many, and very many LEO's who should never have been given a badge and a handgun. They were very badge heavy and didn't believe in peoples rights, the Constitution, God's Laws or anything else in regards to taking an oath of office or in anyway learn to treat people with respect. I was that way once and I thank the Lord that it only lasted a couple of months before I realized my mistake. Like I have stated before: That Badge covers a small part of your chest and NONE of your Arse."
Unfortunately, some Academies across this nation seem to be teaching that we should be the only ones armed. This may not be in the curriculum of an Academy but I'll bet you it will be voiced by one of the Instructors during the Academy at some point! That kind of opinion instills wrong thinking I belief into someone young, dumb, stupid along with some College Idiots who join and who are more than eager to get out and fight crime and supress evil where ever it may rear its ugly head. Also seems to be an influx of newbies in the Academy that come across being members who are definately "anti-gun" and were either raised that way or at one point decided in their lives that ordinary law abidding people here in the USA should not be armed at all because they will protect and serve them as they can. BS! LEO's are well into the high percentage arena when it comes to being "pro-active". Reactive is more our nature. Thus, my argument for peoples rights accorded them by the 2nd Admendment.
Thus it angers me everytime I see on the news when legislation is produced to ban all Military-Style semi-autos; and the hyprocrite(s) that makes such statements, almost without exception, always has either allot or at least half of their background filled in with LEO's in uniform who support that ban just like Fiendstein does. It is in very bad taste to see those LEOs who are standing behind her in support (My belief is that they all do, otherwise why stand there.) of her hyperbole and her way of thinking on what is better for the people of this nation? I consider this almost as equal in the way with the very bad taste in which King Obama signed those executive orders with children from Sandy Hook school and then his audacity to name their names on television while signing and telling the American people that he is saving their lives as well as all school children. I mean why would they do this? You took an oath before GOD to protect the Constitution of this nation and you show up at some sort of circus rally/political statement making event that goes AGAINST one of the Admendments you swore to protect, and in uniform?
My beliefs are that this was never a battle between right and wrong but of Good versus Evil. It seems like our government forgot that a long time ago.
Just my beliefs and some disagreement with my supposed Brothers & Sisters in law Enforcement.