Two days after the horrific shooting in Dallas, three citizens armed with AR-15's stood outside of Texas Police departments. These included both the Patton Village Police Department and the City of Splendora Police Department (SPD). The three men, now identified as James Evans, Roger Tarrant, and Paul Wilson, made their stance in order to show police their support.James Evans commented for the press that he, “wanted to show police that civilians stood by them, that they aren’t alone...I am tired of seeing officers slain for doing their job.”
As they stood, cars began slowing down, honking in support, and dropping off food and water for the three men. In fact, so much food and water, that they began to pile it up on the hoods of their trucks to show passers-by that there was no need to give more. Others dropped by to take photos and selfies with the men, and several others personally thanked them for what they were doing.Traffic got so bad outside The City of Splendory Police Department, that they made the following Facebook Post urging drivers to keep moving:
Since the event, some discussion has questioned the effect that such a public display will have. This Reddit thread within the /r/Firearms category discusses both the positive and negative impressions that could arise, such as this exchange:
Given the recent comments by the Dallas Police Chief regarding the "Good Guy with a Gun" defense, there may be something to say about this kind of display making the job of law enforcement harder, despite the well-wishes of the citizen.What do you think about the actions of these three men for the Texas Police? Let us know in the comments!