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RI police join move to larger handguns
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
RI police join move to larger handguns
By Thomas Geyer / QUAD-CITY TIMES
More take-down punch. Better penetration.
It is for those reasons Rock Island police will begin the transition from the 9-millimeter to the .40-caliber handgun within the next couple of weeks, following both a Quad-City and a national trend to the larger-caliber weapon.
"Our current weapons, the 9 millimeters, are about 10 years old and are close to the end of their life span," Rock Island Police Chief Terry Dove said. "A couple of our officers did the research and felt this was the best weapon for us. We're looking at getting them in the next couple of weeks and as our officers complete the training on them, they'll be able to carry them on duty."
Greater impact and the increased ability to stop a person is the reason the department is going to the .40 caliber, said Rock Island Police Sgt. Vernard "Bud" Gillman, one of the men who researched the weapon.
"The 9 millimeter is the minimum caliber for law enforcement," he said, adding that there are reports of instances in which the 9 millimeter does not always stop threats against police.
But with the .40 caliber, Gillman said, officers will have a bullet that provides greater punch and will work better against someone wearing heavy clothing.
"The idea is to stop the threat," he said. "That's the idea of going to a medium-caliber cartridge. It will stop the threat quicker."
A .45 caliber would be the optimum weapon, he said.
"But with the 40 caliber, we gain advantages without having too large a handgun," Gillman said.
For instance, he said, a .45-caliber gun has a lot of recoil when shot and may not fit the hand dimensions of officers who are of smaller stature. Also, the .45 carries only nine rounds.
In contrast, anyone can handle the .40 caliber, he said, adding that because it is made partly of polymers, it is lighter than an unloaded 9 millimeter. And the .40 caliber has a 15-round clip.
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Rock Island will use the Glock brand of .40 caliber, which retails for about $575.
"It's controllable, easy to shoot," Gillman said. "It meets the needs of our female and male officers."
Gillman said the average gunfight occurs at a distance of 21 feet or less and lasts about 2.5 seconds, and only two to three rounds are exchanged.
"The first shot in a gunbattle is very important, and .40 caliber's first-shot potential is very good."
Many Quad-City area police departments are moving to the .40 caliber.
Davenport, however, has not moved to the larger weapon, although it has discussed the .40- and .45-caliber guns, Capt. David Struckman said.
"It's a very easy gun to train on," Bettendorf police Sgt. Keith Kimball said of the .40-caliber Glock. Bettendorf went to the .40 caliber several years ago.
"The 9 millimeter is not an effective round for incapacitating people," he said. "Sometimes, it does not penetrate or go through materials."
No cop wants to have to shoot somebody, Kimball said. But in a shootout, he added, "the idea is not to kill, but to incapacitate, to stop the threat. And you shoot as often as necessary to stop the threat. Some people die from the wounds."
Still, said Davenport police Cpl. Thomas Behning, one of the department's weapons specialists, one thing is more important than all else, including caliber.
"You've got to be able to put the bullet where it's supposed to go," he said.
http://qctimes.com/local/story49.html
Thomas Geyer can be contacted at (563) 383-2328 or tgeyer@qctimes.com.
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
By Thomas Geyer / QUAD-CITY TIMES
More take-down punch. Better penetration.
It is for those reasons Rock Island police will begin the transition from the 9-millimeter to the .40-caliber handgun within the next couple of weeks, following both a Quad-City and a national trend to the larger-caliber weapon.
"Our current weapons, the 9 millimeters, are about 10 years old and are close to the end of their life span," Rock Island Police Chief Terry Dove said. "A couple of our officers did the research and felt this was the best weapon for us. We're looking at getting them in the next couple of weeks and as our officers complete the training on them, they'll be able to carry them on duty."
Greater impact and the increased ability to stop a person is the reason the department is going to the .40 caliber, said Rock Island Police Sgt. Vernard "Bud" Gillman, one of the men who researched the weapon.
"The 9 millimeter is the minimum caliber for law enforcement," he said, adding that there are reports of instances in which the 9 millimeter does not always stop threats against police.
But with the .40 caliber, Gillman said, officers will have a bullet that provides greater punch and will work better against someone wearing heavy clothing.
"The idea is to stop the threat," he said. "That's the idea of going to a medium-caliber cartridge. It will stop the threat quicker."
A .45 caliber would be the optimum weapon, he said.
"But with the 40 caliber, we gain advantages without having too large a handgun," Gillman said.
For instance, he said, a .45-caliber gun has a lot of recoil when shot and may not fit the hand dimensions of officers who are of smaller stature. Also, the .45 carries only nine rounds.
In contrast, anyone can handle the .40 caliber, he said, adding that because it is made partly of polymers, it is lighter than an unloaded 9 millimeter. And the .40 caliber has a 15-round clip.
Advertisement
Rock Island will use the Glock brand of .40 caliber, which retails for about $575.
"It's controllable, easy to shoot," Gillman said. "It meets the needs of our female and male officers."
Gillman said the average gunfight occurs at a distance of 21 feet or less and lasts about 2.5 seconds, and only two to three rounds are exchanged.
"The first shot in a gunbattle is very important, and .40 caliber's first-shot potential is very good."
Many Quad-City area police departments are moving to the .40 caliber.
Davenport, however, has not moved to the larger weapon, although it has discussed the .40- and .45-caliber guns, Capt. David Struckman said.
"It's a very easy gun to train on," Bettendorf police Sgt. Keith Kimball said of the .40-caliber Glock. Bettendorf went to the .40 caliber several years ago.
"The 9 millimeter is not an effective round for incapacitating people," he said. "Sometimes, it does not penetrate or go through materials."
No cop wants to have to shoot somebody, Kimball said. But in a shootout, he added, "the idea is not to kill, but to incapacitate, to stop the threat. And you shoot as often as necessary to stop the threat. Some people die from the wounds."
Still, said Davenport police Cpl. Thomas Behning, one of the department's weapons specialists, one thing is more important than all else, including caliber.
"You've got to be able to put the bullet where it's supposed to go," he said.
http://qctimes.com/local/story49.html
Thomas Geyer can be contacted at (563) 383-2328 or tgeyer@qctimes.com.
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878