Are more NFL fans going to start showing up to games with guns?
If the National Fraternal Order of Police gets its way, then yes. FOP President Chuck Canterbury wrote a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recently and asked him to start allowing retired and off-duty police officers to carry concealed weapons into NFL stadiums. Canterbury claims that, by allowing more guns, those in attendance at the games will be safer in the event of acts of terrorism and other emergencies.
Here is a portion of Canterbury’s letter, which features him asking the NFL to rescind a current ban on concealed weapons carried by anyone other than police officers assigned to games:
“Today, I am writing on behalf of the members of the Fraternal Order of Police to urge you to rescind this policy, which weakens the safety and security of NFL players, personnel and fans. The terrorist attacks and threats of attacks from organizations like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are selecting targets based on the amount of death and injury they can inflict—mass murder and casualty events."
The NFL has already responded to the FOP President and said, in so many words, "No." NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy spoke with Fox News and said that more guns will just cause confusion in the event of terrorism.
“Off-duty officers attend games as spectators and are unknown to working law enforcement officers and security personnel,” McCarthy said. “They may not have the same training and do not participate in the weekly preparation meetings. They are not included in the on-site chain of command. The well-intentioned display or use of a gun could have serious unintended and potentially tragic consequences.”
We could think of about a million other potential problems that could pop up. But for now, it doesn’t sound like anyone will have to worry about any of them.
Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com.
[via Fox News]
