The Larely Beagle – The Community Newspaper of Larely, California

Today’s shift turned out to be a stressful one for Larely Police Officer Sean McKay, as he realized twenty minutes into his shift that he had forgotten his plant gun at home.

The gun, a .38 caliber snub nosed pistol, which McKay always carries in case he accidentally shoots and kills someone and needs to plant a gun on them to make it look like self defense, was in its usual hiding place under his front porch steps. However, McKay forgot to grab it when he was forced to chat with a neighbor who was outside at the time. As a result, McKay was visibly uneasy at work.

“Not having my plant gun with me today made me feel like I was walking around naked out there. Throughout my entire career, whenever I’ve gotten nervous about what may happen at work, I just concentrate on the feel of that cold metal pressing against my ankle, and the nervousness immediately fades. I know that it’s always got my back if I freak out and shoot an innocent bystander again.”

When questioned as to the “again” part of his comment, McKay said, “Oh, that. A couple years ago, I pulled a guy over for speeding on Larely Parkway. As soon as I walked up to his window he started giving me a little lip, so I pulled out my gun to intimidate him a bit. As I was pointing it at him, his cell phone rang and I accidentally shot and killed him. As soon as that happened I knew I had to act quickly. I grabbed the snubby off of my ankle, fired a few rounds toward where I was standing, wiped off the gun and put it in his hand. Internal Affairs investigated the matter and determined I had acted in self-defense. I was cleared of all wrongdoing and even given an award for my heroics in the line of duty. It was amazing, and I owe it all to that little plant gun.”

Because he didn’t have his plant gun on him, McKay decided that the best thing to do would be to pull over somewhere and keep a low profile until the end of his shift. During this time four armed robberies were committed in the area he was supposed to be patrolling.

While the concept may seem a little unethical, plant guns are nothing new to the Larely Police Department. It’s estimated that 85-90% of officers in Larely carry them. In fact, they’ve become so popular that textile company Thread, White, and Blue, who produces the pants for Larely Police uniforms, has begun leaving extra space in the right ankle of every pair so that a plant gun can be hidden a little bit better.