Monday, May 11, 2020

To what advantage?


The Adaptive Curmudgeon posted this video on his blog and then quickly buried it with another post.

While much longer than most videos I am willing to watch, I thought it worth the time to watch until the end.

The specific question it addresses is "When is it to your advantage to submit to an interview with the police without an attorney present?" Spoiler: Never.

More specifically, it repeatedly raises the question "What possible advantage can it avail you as the (potential) defendant?" Spoiler: None.

Firearms
If you have  been reading the blog for a while you know that I am pro-2nd Amendment and have a favorable view of firearms. I also like electric drills, utility knives, shovels and all manner of other tools that drill holes and cut.

What you will RARELY see is specific mention of whether I, personally, own (or do NOT own) a firearm at any given time.

I can think of no advantage to be gained by revealing that information.

Speaking hypothetically, if I shared that I do not own a firearm might that not make my home more vulnerable to crimes of invasion and theft?

Conversely, if I revealed that I do have firearms, wouldn't that make my home a target given the high street value of firearms? Most stolen goods trade for five-to-twenty cents on the dollar. Firearms might go for fifty-cents-per-dollar-to-par because felons have no other way to obtain them.

If, on the other hand, the potential burglar does not know whether I do, or do not have a gun(s) then their logic must comprehend the downside risk (they might get shot) and the potential of limited upside gain (there might be nothing worth stealing).

Given those ambiguities they are more likely to invade a home sporting political signs favoring disarmament (the quick score) or to invest a bit more time to ensure nobody is home before breaking into a home where they believe multiple firearms reside (high payout).

There is also the political angle. Everybody is already on the list. What matters is how close you are to the top. I am already in the middle because I blog. If I bragged about having certain types of firearms then I would be near the top of the list. Why should I brag (presuming I had a firearm)? Would it impress anybody important? I think not.

So, for the record: At this precise instant in time I either do, or do not, have a firearm(s) readily available to me.

Thank-you for allowing me to get this off my chest.

3 comments:

Readers who are willing to comment make this a better blog. Civil dialog is a valuable thing.