The qualifier for you, Travis, is that you should just come out and say you hate cops, and you are looking for ANY POSSIBLE thing to help fit your narrative. Anyone that’s ever watched you post your “knowledge” of police matters over the years already knows this, but maybe you should let newer people know from the jump.
I'll admit that I've been extremely critical of cops in the past. Certainly more critical than what should have been warranted, perhaps even far more critical than I should have been. I'm confident that the overwhelming majority of police officers would never even think about stealing from someone during a raid like this. But it happens. I would even go so far as to admit that if you were to line up 10 random people, each from a different profession and told me that one of them is a thief, that I'd put the cop toward the bottom of that list as being the likely culprit. I think cops are generally honorable in this regard. I do think there are some other serious systemic issues with police, but that's a different discussion and one that belongs in the politics section, not here.
As far as my "knowledge" of police matters, I have next to no knowledge whatsoever about pretty much anything police-related other than my own personal experiences, those of my friends & family, and the countless videos (both good and bad) that get posted online and passed around on social media. If I were to sit in the passenger seat of a patrol car for just one week in a high crime neighborhood, perhaps my viewpoints would change. Or perhaps if I could listen in as a fly on the wall while a group of off-duty officers was sitting around drinking beers, playing cards, and speaking freely with each other that it just might solidify my biases even further, particularly in the south. I really don't know. I do have two family members who are or were police officers though (one is retired). And while yes, I know it's just an anecdotal account, but I've never heard the n-word come out of someone's mouth so easily as it does from my police officer uncle. If he weren't retired already, I would have recorded our conversations and sent them to the ACLU a long time ago. He's a piece of shit, in every way possible. I realize that doesn't mean other cops are just like him, but it has had an effect on me and my experiences with cops in general. That said, I also play poker with a few cops. Several have played in my home game. All of my interactions with them have been nothing but positive and I have every reason to believe they're good people.
Is there a possibility an officer stole it? Sure!! But why can’t you even begin to think of the alternatives?
I have thought of the alternatives. I've pointed them out above, several times.
Do you think it’s possible one of the random people that was at the house could have taken it??? Or is that totally out of the realm of possibility because that wouldn’t fit your narrative?
No, of course not. This would be a near-zero likelihood that belongs in the "ridiculous" assertion category. These people had guns aimed at them. Half of them probably had shit stains in their underwear. None of them are going to risk their lives trying to steal a gun during a raid (especially one that is 3 feet long and being admired by the cops). The fact that you can even come up with something like this and propose it as a realistic possibility highlights just how out of touch you are with reality. This is almost as ludicrous as my pothole theorem joke.
Is it possible that the officer that “admired” the gun in front of 20 different people decided he was going to be so stupid as to steal it after he was witnessed with it by those same 20 people? Sure!!! Is that same buffoon of an officer going to risk his career and the risk of going to jail going to steal a couple hundred dollar rifle that countless people saw him with?? Sure!!! Or maybe, just maybe, it isn’t quite as sinister as you do hoped it to be...
None of these risks that you mention are realistic though. It's not like any of these 20 people at the game are going to be there while he's unloading the evidence, and from the officer's perspective, it's unlikely that brains613 would be getting back any of the items anyhow. For him to steal the gun would be extremely easy. Almost no risk whatsoever. Just simply "forget" to grab it from the back of his patrol car while turning in everything else from the raid. The only way he could get "caught" is if one of the other officers were to ask him, "hey, didn't we grab a Mosin rifle too? I don't see it." All he'd have to do is say, "Ya, I was just about to grab that", or "let me double-check the trunk of my car" or whatever. It would be so easy for him to steal it and get away with it. It's not like the other officers are taking inventory of what was in each officer's trunk before they turn everything in. And it's not like they have their cars inspected before they drive off the lot.
Or maybe, just maybe, it isn’t quite as sinister as you do hoped it to be...
I'm not "hoping" for anything. I'm simply being an objective observer. You should try it. The odds are overwhelming here that the gun was stolen by the cops. If you can't see that, then it's because of your bias.
