This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
In "Gun porn gives the wrong idea" (Opinion, Sept. 2), columnist George Pyle critiqued the marksmanship of New York City police officers who shot and killed an armed man outside the Empire State Building after the man shot a former coworker. Officers fired 16 shots at the gunman: Only two hit him, while nine hit bystanders.
Pyle's commentary verifies one conclusion of my op-ed column "Officers sometimes forced to shoot armed suspects" (Opinion, Jan. 1), in which I defended officers who killed an armed man outside the LDS Church's Oquirrh Mountain Temple. Officers are trained to shoot at center mass because adrenaline makes them less accurate: Better to shoot at center mass and hit an extremity than to shoot at an extremity and miss entirely.
I would rather not be shot. But if I am, I prefer to be shot by police officers who are not aiming at me, rather than by a criminal who is.
The New York incident also illustrates why occasional range practice using stationary targets may be insufficient. Officers should get more simulation time that mimics real-life events.
Ken K. Gourdin
Tooele