Thank you for pointing it out.
“In states where gun laws are slack, the police are necessarily to be feared in order to function.”
This is my argument, based upon practical observations. U.S. police has been villainised and feared by their civilian. We see evidence of this straight from the protest, where the general narrative has been ‘us versus them’.
This has led to some police even coming out to the streets aggrieved at being painted that way. Alas, some say this is a perfect case of that “one bad cop”. Or not.
The thing is, most police do NOT instil fear, instead they exert control and law enforcement by commanding respect — the right way. Respect, however, only works if it comes it is mutual. Civilians respect policing as long as the cops respect the people.
In a state with lax gun laws, I am immediately aware of a cop with a gun. If he has to tussle with me, what is to say he won’t pull one on me. Worse, what is to say he won’t think I will pull one on him. Because of the slack gun laws, I may be illegally armed in the eyes of the cop. In this case, I, the civilian, is already fearful of my life.
Because of the lax gun laws, it fosters a whole different orientation and culture in law enforcement.
It does not help that Trump has lifted the ban on military gear for local police.
Here is another example:
Many people asked, why did the folks in the video not push away the offending cop whose his knee strangled the neck of George Floyd?
It is fear. The fear of the police. The risk of being constitutional guilty of a felony that is cop assault.
Why are the offending police seemingly unfazed by his pleas and motionlessness?
Because the police either knows they are feared, or are used to such a man-handling takedown. George Floyd might be a one-off case of freak accident.
I know you might not fear the cop. This is true for many people too. But not all are as well-informed or have the clarity of mind as you are. Cops cause apprehension by their mere presence and authority.
Here is an account from a civilian about fear: https://www.quora.com/Why-are-the-U-S-police-feared-and-villainized?ch=10&share=2a6d317c&srid=iECk
Here is an account from a police about fear: https://medium.com/s/story/fearing-for-our-lives-82ad7eb7d75f
