The case was notable in part because the city of Southaven had previously argued that Lopez had no civil rights to violate because the Mexican man was living in the United States illegally and faced deportation orders and criminal charges for illegally possessing guns.
A judge rejected that argument in 2020, finding constitutional rights apply to “all persons.”
Because, you know, that’s what the Constitution says.
I’m a gun owner and I’ve gotten into quite a few disagreements with other gun owners over the mag dump issue. A few caveats, the people in talking about are generally right- wing and don’t know my political beliefs and I’ve generally had more actual training than they have.
You see this behavior from cops all the time, but the legal reality for an armed citizen does not look favorable. You are responsible for every bullet that’s discharged from your firearm. If someone breaks into your home and you dump the mag (7-16 rounds for most pistols) the prosecution will highlight this fact and the jury likely won’t look favorably on that behavior.
Beyond the legal implications, it is highly irresponsible behavior in a populated area. Regardless of training, firing in rapid succession decreases accuracy and increases the likelihood of not only missing your target, but striking an unintended individual. This demonstrates an individual who is not in control of their emotions, is reckless, and an unsafe gun owner.
The fact that cops are permitted to do this is unacceptable and demonstrates that the cops who do this are completely unsuitable to the job.
When I went through the academy we were trained to fire two shots. Evaluate the target and fire two more if there was still an active threat. If there was not a threat, we watched the person until medical aid arrived.
Yet you see these shootings were they may dump. That isn’t stopping a threat. That’s murder.