They shoot Nazi's don't they?

Local stuff; a man described as a 'Neo-Nazi Environmentalist' was shot dead by the RCMP on the 23rd. It's been all over the local news.

My friends locally are quite shocked. Shootings in the mid-island? Good gravy! The only shootings that generally happen around here result in a nice Venison stew. Now the RCMP are shooting Nazi's? Well bless my soul. Just reinforces the twelfth commandment; 'thou shalt not piss off the Mounties'. We have reasonable laws, and it is their job to enforce those laws. Policemen, at least in my experience, do tend to think the worst of the public in general because they mainly deal with law breakers rather than the law abiding.

Now not having been at the incident in question, I can only take an educated guess based upon my years footslogging as to what happened. The reports say that there was a noise complaint and the Police turned up to investigate. The reports say that having been asked to 'turn it down' there was an 'altercation' with the gentleman concerned after which the RCMP withdrew to wait for a Police dog unit. The reports further state that the 'victim' was a 'gun enthusiast'. The RCMP would be aware of this, as the gun laws round here are pretty strict, and they like to know who has what kind of firepower and where it is. Handguns are allowed for target shooting, but the movement and storage of said firearms is strictly regulated. Therefore; if said 'victim' kept his guns at home, then the local detachment would have known this, and been ready for trouble.

Policemen the world over are like the rest of us, and don't like being shot. I too share this prejudice. Being shot at is not very nice, and if anyone were to even threaten me with such an action, I would like the opportunity of being a) completely out of range or b) behind something highly resistant to bullets, or c) to shoot them before they pulled the trigger on me. Call me an old silly but my preference is for a). However, if it is your job to take guns off people who are behaving in less than a reasonable fashion, then being armed and prepared to use those arms, as in option c) is only fair and sportsmanlike.

However, one of his neighbours has indicated that said 'Neo-Nazi environmentalist' periodically 'came off his meds' and was at those times less than the nicest person on gods earth. Bearing this in mind, it is no giant leap of the imagination to work out that he did not take kindly to being asked to turn down the noise, got the hump at being told what to do, started to argue the toss with the RCMP, then made (apparently) to go for his gun(s). At this point, elf 'n safety rules would have come into play, knowing that the 'victim' in question had guns at his disposal and rather than be used for said 'victims' target practice, the policemen in question would have shot first. Simples.

Having had nuisance neighbours, and consequently suffered sleep deprivation because my work / life cycle did not mesh with theirs, and their desire for loud music / partying / domestic rows into the early hours; I can readily sympathise with the victims afflicted neighbours. Just because he was an 'environmentalist' of whatever political kidney does not excuse said 'victim' from anti-social behaviour. If he behaved like these environmental protesters, as far as I'm concerned, the Police were quite welcome to tazer his ass until it smokes.