PC Bullshit has gone too far!

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scottc
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PC Bullshit has gone too far!

Post by scottc » Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:09 pm

http://www.tbo.com/news/MGBHJ1TASIE.html

Police Target Practice Aims For Sensitivity

By MICHAEL SASSO msasso@tampatrib.com

Published: Jan 23, 2006
TAMPA - In recent years, Florida law enforcement agencies have been pondering an unusual question of political correctness: If your officers fire at targets that are black in color, is the agency sending a racist message?

Not wanting to take any chances, the Tampa and St. Petersburg police departments, among other law enforcement agencies, have switched to more colorful targets.

"It never was a big issue or a big debate," said Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy, whose agency switched to blue silhouette targets from black ones two years ago. "Nowadays, you can never be too sensitive, and we felt that it was the right direction to go."

Traditionally, the target at government and private gun ranges has been a black silhouette of a human form. Black silhouettes aren't meant to represent any race, and they tend to cost less than colorful targets.

However, in recent years, two companies that sell targets to gun ranges have noticed a change in orders from Florida law enforcement agencies.

In every other state, black targets outsell blue, orange and other colors, said Guy Wynn, general manager of National Target Co. of Frederick, Md.

But in Florida, the blue targets outsell the black, he said.

"Florida's where it all started," Wynn said. "They [Florida police agencies] wanted to know if we could do it in blue. Other states do it, too, but it seemed to start in Florida."

L.E.T., short for Law Enforcement Targets, of St. Paul, Minn., has noticed the same phenomenon. Blue and green silhouettes have started catching on nationwide, said Jeff Brown, the company's marketing director.

Concerns about race are behind the trend, Wynn and Brown said.

Police agencies are wondering what message they are sending by firing at black silhouettes, Brown said.

Wanting to prevent any problems, a few years ago the St. Petersburg Police Department switched from black to "Smurf blue," agency spokesman George Kajtsa said, referring to the pint-sized blue villagers of 1980s cartoon fame.

"Perhaps someone would misconstrue it as a racial issue, so before it became an issue, they switched to a different color," he said.

Eventually, officers wanted more lifelike targets, so the St. Petersburg police switched to targets with full-color photographs of people in threatening poses, Kajtsa said.

The agency still has some black silhouettes in storage, so the traditional targets occasionally are used, he said.

Dee Johnson, who teaches a criminal justice class at Durant High School, was at Shooting Sports gun range in Tampa one recent weekday, supervising her students.

She thinks the traditional black silhouettes are fine.

"I, for one, don't see it as a racial issue," said Johnson, who is black. "And I am the type to address racial issues."

Marshall Felton, who was practicing with his pistol at The Indoor Shooting Co. in Thonotosassa, thinks switching to blue targets is a good idea.

"If you keep seeing the same [black] image, I guess it might affect your subconscious," Felton. said

Jay
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Post by Jay » Sun Nov 16, 2008 12:02 am

Here in N.Y i heard on talk radio, driving to work the other morning. That the "Thug" large man target thats been around since the 1960s, is being replaced by a "Mr Clean" looking silouette target.

I believe this also was a police dept recomendation. And i remember selling the "Thug" and the Black one when i use to work the gun range job.They said that the "thug" target was a depiction of an actual police detective as far as its resembalance. The detective retired in the early 1980s.

With all do respect, i wondered if the person who resembles that target might have recently passed away. but now hearing your story, sounds like that policticle corrective nonsense. Also besides the "Mr. Clean" they said ther was another target that resembled an alien. They didnt say nothing of the black silouette target. But what you said happened in Florida, seems to coresspond with this thought, dosent it?


I presume that all intentions for these actions are a country wide effort to have the public as well as the police to practise shooting at non human or shall i say none real people targets.

Whats next? Mickey mouse, ET or some other cartoon figure. No, that will upset any children i guess? Soon we will have to shoot at large bowling pins.

Talk about insulting our intelegence. hey i know i am not the sharpest tool in the shed, but i am still a tool. Did they find simalaritys as far as shooting deaths and these types of targets. Where is this country heading backwards? I think no one really thought of the Flotsdam this caused the people until they brought it up.

I find it intresting that this has become an issue. But when i watch T.v i constantly see all the new commercials for those play station type killing games, that are so popular. Not trying to condem thier sales for they do look like they can be entertaining. But i am pretty sure, these will stimulate ones mind more than these targets.


My point is give us humans some more credit to be able to distinquish right from wrong. And stop insulting our intellegence. Surely there are other issues of more importance that can be addresed.

Go easy, Jay

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