Prosecutors Learn About Firearms From Frontline Officers

Prosecutors from the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office received a hands-on lesson covering firearms last Friday.

The day-long training started with a classroom session at the Falls Township Police Department where Sgt. Bryan White went through the mechanics of guns and explained the difference between shots, slugs, less-than-lethal alternatives, and rifle rounds. From the different types of firearms to what they do and the damage they can cause were covered in the training.

By late morning, the prosecutors gathered at the Falls Township police gun range. The training range is located at a secluded wooded area near Sucker Point, the location where Biles Creek and the Delaware River meet.

“Feet should be about shoulder-width apart,” White told the attorneys. “Push the gun forward and keep your head level.”

“Never point the gun at anything you’re not ready to destroy,” he added.

The assistant district attorneys saw first hand how the concepts White spoke about at the police station existed in the real world. They also had the chance to fire handguns, shotguns, and patrol rifles.

Officers who are trained tactical operators fired off weapons at targets, various building materials, and watermelon to show their power. The fruit, according to Detective Sgt. Ray Fanelli, takes a bullet similarly to how a projectile passes into a human.

Fanelli said that showing the prosecutors how quickly someone can empty a magazine or how a bullet impacts a piece of drywall provides new insight.

District Attorney Matt Weintraub said the training was key for the prosecutors who try gun crime cases in court.

“We handle these kinds of cases every day, and it’s important for our [assistant district attorneys] to understand what a gun can do to somebody,” Weintraub said.

Officers also gave advice on how to handle an active killer situation and explained how the SWAT team breaches doors and walls with small explosives.

The last training on firearms held by the office took place about eight years ago and Friday’s session was overdue, Weintraub said, adding he hopes to hold once again next year.

Police and Weintraub thanked Mission BBQ of Warminster for providing lunch for the training.