“A gun in the hand is worth the entire police force on the phone”

“A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone” is a pro-gun saying that has been printed on many images. The form is similar to the proverb “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”
 
“A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone” was a “Sign on a gun shop” as posted on the newsgroup talk.politics,guns on November 22, 1993. “A gun in the hand beats a cop on the phone” was posted on the newsgroup za.politics on January 25, 1998.
   
“I’d rather have a gun in my hand, than a cop on the phone” was posted on the newsgroup talk.poitics.guns on December 29, 1998. “I’d rather have a gun in the hand than a cop on the phone” was printed in The Globe and Mail (Toronto, ON) on January 9, 2007.
   
“A gun in the hand > two cops on the phone” was posted on the newsgroup alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus on October 24, 2000. “A gun in the hand is better than two cops on the phone” was posted on the newsgroup misc.fitness,weights on November 7, 2005.
   
“A gun in the hand is worth (more than) the entire police force on the phone” is another variation of the saying that has been printed on many images. “A gun in the hand is worth the entire police force on the phone” was posted on Twitter by Armed N Dangerous on May 6, 2013. “A gun in your hand is worth far more than an entire police force on the phone” was posted on Twitter by Margaret Burtonа on June 25, 2013. “A gun in the hand is worth more than the entire police force on the phone… #girlswithguns” was posted on Twitter by Girlonmission ‘Sam’ on October 9, 2013.
   
           
Google Groups: talk.politics,guns 
Sign on a gun shop
Keith Emmen
Nov 22, 1993, 6:31:12 PM
“A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone.”
 
Google Groups: za.politics
The joys of gun control
Robin Smith
Jan 26, 1998, 3:00:00 AM
(...)
A gun in the hand beats a cop on the phone
     
Google Groups: talk.poitics.guns
Gunners…SHEESH!
Steve Fischer
Dec 29, 1998, 3:00:00 AM
(...)
I’d rather have a gun in my hand, than a cop on the phone.
 
Newspapers.com
21 October 1999, Elko (NV) Daily Free Press, “Gun seminar draws crowds, praise,” pg. 1, col. 4:
“But I tell you this: A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone.”
 
15 July 2000, The Daily Telegraph (London, UK), “Travel: US on the road: The Group Trip” by Rosemary Behan, pg. 8:
..wore .a T-shirt that read “A Gun in the Hand Beats a Cop on the Phone Any Time.”
         
Google Groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus
ABIT P5A and K6-3 450+
Brian Brunner
Oct 24, 2000, 11:31:05 PM
(...)
1911 - a gun in the hand > two cops on the phone.
 
20 December 2000, Topeka (KS) Capital Journal, “Don’t worry about pronunciation as long as title’s right,” pg. A4:
The ABCs of gun control, which reads like the National Rifle Association bible, says in part: “An armed man is a citizen; an unarmed man is a subject. A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone. Smith & Wesson: The original point-and-click interface.” And so on.
 
Google Groups: alt.politics,libertarian
Pornography
Transcend
Jun 6, 2001, 12:55:29 AM
Martin Willett wrote:
No my sig, which it is not really polite to debate about, points to me being a realist. If someone breaks into *my* house I would rather have a gun in my hand than the phone. If someone is on my property doing damage, or stealing something I would rather have a gun in my hand than the phone.
       
Google Groups: misc.fitness,weights
“Criminals of the world, good times await in baghdad by the bay!”
OmManiPadmeOmelet
Nov 7, 2005, 5:53:08 PM
(...)
FIREARMS REFRESHER COURSE
1. An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject.
2. A gun in the hand is better than two cops on the phone.
 
23 October 2006, Concord (NH) Monitor, “Letters,” pg. B4:
Re “Get rid of guns” (Monitor letter, Oct. 16): And when the bad guy is threatening your life, a gun in the hand is worth two cops on the phone.
ALICE MURPHY
Penacook
   
8 January 2007, The Globe and Mail (Toronto, ON), “Surging crime in New Orleans turns the Big Easy into Big Sleazy” by Alan Freeman, pg. A1:
“I’d rather have a gun in the hand than a cop on the phone,” he said.
 
Twitter
thadson
@thadson
2. A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone.
5:25 PM · Dec 16, 2008·Twitter Web Client
   
Twitter
suzireb
@suzireb
A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone. #tcot
7:43 PM · Jan 31, 2009·Twitter Web Client
   
Twitter
Duliece Melton
@reland1
@susan_s_smith that’s too bad for you and yours. I’d rather have a gun in my hand than a cop on the phone. We disagree completely on thi ...
3:24 PM · Apr 3, 2009·Twitter Web Client
     
Twitter
roger sunderlin
@nugy
A gun in your hand beats a cop on the phone.
10:50 AM · Dec 8, 2010·Twitter Web Client
 
Twitter
robert kendall
@bob3053
If someone breaks into my home I would rather have a gun in my hand than a cop on the phone.
8:35 AM · May 28, 2011·Twitter Web Client
   
Twitter
Tom Merrick
@C4Tom
I’d rather have a gun in my hand than a cop on the phone!
10:51 AM · Aug 9, 2011·Twitter Web Client
   
Twitter
Joseph Peters
@jcplbc
@piersmorgan
A gun in the hand is worth more than a cop on the phone and two on the way. http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/burglar-calls-911-himself-163618126.html
1:04 PM · Dec 6, 2012·Twitter Web Client
   
Twitter
red seewun
@redc1c4
A gun in the hand is worth more than a cop on the phone and two on the way. #RKBA #tcot
3:31 PM · Dec 6, 2012·Twitter Web Client
   
Twitter
Jon Galt
@johnGalt1773
Replying to @KevinRandall5
@KevinRandall5.  A gun in your hand is worth more, than two cops on the phone…... Haha
5:17 PM · Jan 16, 2013·Twitter for Android
   
Twitter
ARTMANE
@ArtMane
A #gun in your hand is worth more than 2 #cops on The phone
2:21 PM · Jan 31, 2013·Twitter for Android
 
Twitter
Armed N Dangerous
@ILamy7
A gun
In the hand
Is worth
The entire
Police force
On the
Phone
#guns #NowIsTheTime
7:21 AM · May 6, 2013·Twitter for iPhone
   
Twitter
ArmedCitizenProject
@ArmedCznProject
A gun in the hand is worth the entire police force on the phone. #nra #2a
1:55 AM · May 11, 2013·Twitter for Android
   
Twitter
Margaret Burtonа
@_margaret_b
A gun in your hand is worth far more than an entire police force on the phone.
3:44 AM · Jun 25, 2013·Mobile Web (M2)
 
Twitter
Kelly Reaа
@dave_mobley
A gun in your hand is worth far more than an entire police force on the phone.
4:04 PM · Jun 25, 2013·Mobile Web (M2)
   
Twitter
Girlonmission ‘Sam’
@GirlOnMission
A gun in the hand is worth more than the entire police force on the phone… #girlswithguns
9:42 PM · Oct 8, 2013·twicca
   
Twitter
Joel
@Blacksmith222
Fact…When the sh!t hits the fan.
A gun in hand is worth more than an entire police force on the phone!!!
7:53 AM · Dec 16, 2013·Twitter Web Client
 
Twitter
Infidel Angela
@TheMeemStreams
A gun in the hand is worth the entire Police force on the phone Mobile phone no joke #2A #MAGA #SwedenIncident #LiberalLeft
5:34 PM · Mar 28, 2017·Twitter for iPhone
         
Twitter
JoAnne Crown#wife#mother#grandmother
@JoanneWT09
A gun in the hand is worth more than the entire police force on the phone!!
#SecondAmendment
#SupportTheNRA
9:10 PM · Mar 5, 2018·Twitter for Android
 
Twitter   
JLC
@Ranklediff
A gun in the hand is worth more than the entire police force on the phone:  #maga #NoRedFlagLaws
@nra #EnoughIsEnough
10:43 AM · Sep 20, 2019·Twitter for iPad
 
Twitter
Colin Robinson
@fleef
A firearm in the hand is worth more than the entire police force on the phone. #2adefenders
10:54 PM · Nov 6, 2019·Twitter Web App
 
Twitter
Joseph King
@JosephK49393147
Replying to @tomselliott and @MikeBloomberg
@MikeBloomberg here is something my grandfather taught me when I was younger “a gun in the hand is worth the whole police force on the phone” now this texas incident is the prime example of that and more than 7 firearms where drawn on a criminal but you want to condemn them?
12:20 PM · Jan 3, 2020·Twitter for Android
 
Twitter
Oliveira
@OliveiraMota6
Replying to @cringe_panda
A gun in your hand is worth more than every police force on the phone.
1:36 PM · Jun 9, 2020·Twitter Web App
 
Twitter
#2A Wisdom
@2AWisdom
A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone.
1:40 AM · Aug 21, 2020·2A Wisdom Quotes