San Jose Police Chief: We Need More Gun Control, There are “Absolutely” too Many Guns on the Street

During his email exchange with reporter Josh Koehn, Garcia repeats the classic canard that we should restrict gun ownership because police officers will feel safer knowing that the average citizen isn’t likely to be carrying a gun. This must be news to the aforementioned majority of LEOs’ who support the Second Amendment:

“Josh Koehn: What are your thoughts on the Second Amendment?

Chief Garcia: It’s a very important amendment, and obviously very polarizing. I agree with the right to bear arms, but I equally believe in the limitations that have been placed by our courts. One aspect that I find interesting is that the Second Amendment was adopted in the late 1700s. I wonder if today’s modern weaponry were available then, if that amendment would look the same. I suspect not.

Do you think there are too many guns on American streets?

Absolutely.

Are gun crimes more of an issue in states other than California?

I think gun crimes are an issue for our entire country.

What do you consider an assault rifle?

Simply stated: a compact, long-range capable weapon with high capacity that can be fired very rapidly; originally designed for the military.

Do you think the average non-felon should be able to own an assault rifle?

My belief—and I realize this may not be popular—is that these weapons should be for military and police use only. This is a perfect question to go hand-in-hand with my response to question No. 1.

Do police feel safer knowing that everyday citizens could be carrying a gun? Does the size of the gun matter? (no pun intended)

Again, simply stated: No.

There is so much training that we as officers go through. The technical aspects of the training (i.e. marksmanship and safety) are just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much we want our officers to rely on before using their weapons: de-escalation, CIT (Crisis Intervention Team training), etc.

And as well trained as we are, as seen nationally, there still remain questions on our use of firearms. I certainly would not like to see confrontations between armed citizens and our officers, who understandably would have a difficult time in a split-second decision discerning ‘good guy with a gun’ or ‘bad guy with a gun.’ Their jobs are difficult enough, I don’t feel the need to add to that. And, obviously, the higher the caliber the more damage can be caused.”

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Do you think the Black Lives Matter movement is dangerous or illegitimate?

I believe the movement to be legitimate, but it needs to be used broadly or better defined. If the issue is the concern over police use of force, which is a valid point, then let’s have that conversation.

However, if the issue is strictly that “Black Lives Matter” then we cannot have that conversation without also discussing the homicide rates in certain cities where black lives are lost at the hands of other black lives. I know that this movement isn’t trying to say that ONLY Black Lives Matter, but simply that Black Lives Matter ALSO.

Finally, and I don’t believe the responsible individuals looking for reform believe this, especially those who we have been working with in San Jose, but I strongly oppose, as have those in our city looking for reforms, any movement that disgraces the sacrifice of the men and women who wear the uniform and which advocates violence against law enforcement.

Source: San Jose Inside