Doug Clark: I prefer an armed Ozzie to an unarmed one

I all but coughed up my toast and coffee Sunday morning when I read about the sheriff having to give up his gat at the Arena Saturday night.

We really are living in an age of nincompoops.

Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich was attending a law enforcement charity event prior to a Spokane Chiefs hockey game when he was “forced to disarm himself before going inside.”

Can it get any crazier?

In a more cinematic world, here’s what I see happening.

After being asked to surrender his weapon, Sheriff Ozzie would have slapped each idiot doorkeeper silly and then handcuffed the fools to a turnstile.

Life, alas, is not a “Die Hard” movie. Behaving like John McClane will get an elected official in big trouble.

Well, unless you’re Donald Trump.

Spokane County’s top lawman, however, chose a peaceful and pragmatic course.

Not wanting to waste any more time with automatons, the sheriff hiked back to his car where he safely deposited the trusty 1911-style .45 semi-automatic he prefers to carry when not in uniform.

The 1911 “has a slimmer profile” than the thicker Glock .45 he wears with his uniform, Ozzie explained when I called him Monday morning.

The whole ordeal, he added, “was quite frankly bizarre.”

It’s worse than that.

This level of anti-gun paranoia is could put members of the public (i.e. you and me) at risk.

Pretend you’re congregating in a concert hall or movie theater or, yeah, even a hockey arena, when all of a sudden some whack-job with a weapon barges in.

NOTE: Leftists are free to imagine the gunman as a right-wing fundamentalist neo-Nazi. Conservatives can see the killer as an Islamic radical terrorist who helped plan the Paris attacks.

Now that we have our political blinders on, ask yourselves:

Wouldn’t you feel safer if the Oz Man was sitting in the audience with his stylish heater discretely tucked away along with a couple clips of extra ammo?

Or would you rather hide under a seat praying that you don’t get shot in a No Weapons Zone.

Me? I’ll take an armed Ozzie every time.

In fact, I’d be okay if the sheriff kept watch at the back of the room with an automatic rifle at the ready.

No matter which side of the gun argument you’re on, there should be a window of sane agreement when it comes to police officers being allowed to carry weapons in public.

“Ninety percent of the population would agree with you,” the sheriff told me.

These men and women are trained to carry guns for a living. They have also sworn an oath to preserve and protect.

The sheriff made a point in our news story of saying he was on-duty at the time. “On-duty police officers do not get disarmed,” is the way he put it.

But when we talked Monday, he agreed that the uniform shouldn’t be an issue.

Last year, in fact, he “put out a directive” asking his off-duty troops to arm themselves and carry added ammunition when they’re out in public.

Many active shooters, he said, have been stopped thanks to the actions of an armed off-duty cop.

I can’t imagine the horror of being around some monster who suddenly opens fire. But if I ever had to face such a nightmare, I’d definitely want gun-carrying cops nearby.

Kevin Twohig, executive director of Spokane’s Public Facilities District, indicated in our coverage that uniforms played an important distinction in this disarming saga.

Uniformed officers generally get to keep their weapons, he said, while plainclothes officers don’t.

“If they’re not in uniform,” he asked, “how would we know they’re on duty?”

I realize it’s early, but that’s a solid contender for 2017’s dumbest remark.

With all due respect, Mr. Twohig really needs to pull his head out of his you-know-where.

Plainclothes officers carry badges, of course, and official ID.

And what if something awful really did happen at the Arena, god forbid.

What sense does it make to have the sheriff running back to his car for his gun?

“Who do you think is going to show up if there is an active shooter,” he said. “Every law enforcement officer – on duty or off duty – we’re all going to be there.”

Besides, he added, “the elected sheriff of Spokane is never off duty.”

Ozzie was wearing his shield on the lapel of his suit coat. Security staff even recognized him.

Adding to the aggravation, the sheriff told me he watched security members attempt to disarm two uniformed officers. They were unsuccessful, thank goodness.

This controversy will blow over soon. The sheriff said he’s already received apologies from Twohig, which is the smart play.

Ozzie is the county’s most popular elected official. Twohig is, well, a bureaucrat.

Prediction? I’m no psychic, but I believe the Arena’s policy will soon be amended as far as police officers are concerned.

That’ll be a win-win for us all.

<line4Pwide><QC>Contact the writer:<QC>(509) 459-5432<QC>dougc@spokesman.com<QC>