The problem of creating a rabidly anti-gun culture like the one we see in much of the urban northeast is that you end up with severe knowledge deficits in those professions where a knowledge of firearms is required. The New York City Police Department is now and has long been a disturbing example of what happens when you put “gun clueless” people in charge of firearms procurement and training, and they are showing no signs of their idiocy abating any time soon.

They’ve recently decided to purchase 4th Generation Glock 17 (G17) pistol for rookies, leading older NYPD cops to have a hissy fit that the younger cops are getting “more accurate” pistols for free, while they’ll have to pay to change over from their more compact G19s.

But that’s not the worst of it. Here’s where the stupid really takes hold (My bold below).

The department introduced the Glock 17, Generation 4, to newbies in the Police Academy in July, and is offering it free to all new classes of recruits. The gunmaker touts “revolutionary” design advances over other models because it features a longer barrel, textured grip, customizable back strap and a reversible, enlarged magazine catch that makes it easier to swap out the magazine. “It’s the ergonomics of this gun . . . that makes this a better gun,” said Inspector Raymond Caroli, commander of the NYPD firearms and tactics section. Recruits, who are issued a service weapon in the academy at no cost, get to pick between the Glock 17 and two other guns that have been offered for years — the subcompact* Glock 19 and the Sig Sauer P226. Most are picking the Glock 17, Caroli said. He added that having more senior cops pay was a policy matter, saying, “If an in-service cop wants that gun, he can go ahead and buy it.” The rollout comes as the NYPD stresses its community-policing program and works to improve police-community relations, which have been damaged by police-involved shootings. Some cops are criticizing another aspect of the Glock 17 rollout, noting that the department is purposefully limiting the number of bullets they can carry. The gun, as designed, can hold 17-round magazines — two more than the Glock 19. But the NYPD had the manufacturer customize the Glock 17s to carry only 15 rounds so it would be consistent with the interchangeable Glock 19 magazine. One cop who recently went to the firing range said the instructor there drew guffaws when he explained the 15-bullet limit. “Half the class laughed when the instructor said that,” the officer said. “Good ol’ NYPD, they’re restricting us yet again, only handing out the 15 option.” Another cop said, “Why would you select a firearm that can hold 17 rounds, but then only allow 15 to be carried?” It defies common sense. Officers may need those rounds if they find themselves in an active-shooter situation like Dallas or Orlando.”

Yes, you read that correctly. The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight had Glock intentionally Harrison Bergeron the magazines of their G17s, handicapping officers armed with G17s so that rookie officers lose two rounds in every magazine so that they are “equal” to veteran officers armed with the more compact G19s.

It was an entirely political decision made by brain-dead NYPD brass far more interested more in “fairness” than competence or performance. It was an especially stupid move considering they could have just ordered the 17-round G17 magazines for all NYPD officers. Yes, the 17-round G17 magazines would work perfectly well in the department’s existing G19s (with some caveats about generation to generation and mag release set-up we need not touch upon here), though the longer G17 magazines would extend past the grip of the more compact G19s approximately an inch.

This is far from the first display of politics-driven firearms ignorance displayed by the nation’s largest police department. The agency finally switched over to hollowpoints in 1998-99, as the last major agency to do so in the country.

The NYPD has long tried to cover up inadequate basic firearms safety training and a tendency of NYPD officers to negligently discharge weapons by mandating absurdly heavy trigger pulls in semi-automatic pistols that are twice as heavy as the pistols were originally designed to use.

The “New York” triggers used by rank and file NYPD officers that make it even more difficult for officers with poor marksmanship fundamentals to put shots on target, and most officers still have no training beyond shooting at stationary paper targets at extremely close range.

On second thought, maybe giving poorly-trained NYPD officer fewer rounds in the gun is safer for everyone, especially New Yorkers downrange.

* Someone may want to tell the commander of the NYPD firearms tactics section that the G19 is a compact pistol. The G26 is Glock’s subcompact.