The police can't stop an intruder, mugger, or stalker from hurting you. They can pursue him only after he has hurt or killed you. Protecting yourself from harm is your responsibility, and you are far less likely to be hurt in a neighborhood of gun-owners than in one of disarmed citizens - even if you don't own a gun yourself.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Police react to crimes after they happen, so personal protection is essential.
- In plain terms
- You are responsible for your own safety because police arrive after harm occurs.
- What can you take from it?
- Take personal responsibility for safety rather than relying on police response.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What role should police play in safety?
- How responsible are individuals for their own security?
Another view
Police prevent crime through presence and investigation beyond just response.
More from Harry Browne
The income tax has destroyed the concept of financial privacy. It has demolished the idea that a man's home is his castle. It has provided unlimited funding fo…
Permalink to quote #28 There already are 20,000 federal gun laws and regulations on the books. If those laws haven't made America safe by now, why should we think 20,001 laws will su…
Permalink to quote #30 The free market punishes irresponsibility. Government rewards it.
Permalink to quote #27
Related quotes
It's about time law enforcement got as organized as organized crime.
Rudy GiulianiRudy Giuliani quote #1 It is not better that all felony suspects die than that they escape. Where the suspect poses no immediate threat to the officer and no threat to others, the ha…
Byron WhiteByron White quote #2 'The problem with living outside the law is that you no longer have its protection'
Truman CapoteTruman Capote quote #10