Should The Police Routinely Carry Guns?

[highlandsflyer]

Excellent.

 

[technodup]

all i can ad is that the system we have in place at the moment is probably sufficient for the uk. i wouldent like to see police carrying guns here, i think we are the envy of the world in that respect.

I doubt that very much.

I'd love to hear directly from all these foreigners who think our police are the best. Are these the same folk who want their countries to copy the NHS model because apparently it's the envy of the world too?

We might be the envy of the world in making whisky and gentlemen's suits. For anything else it's a vague, immeasurable phrase used by people making a nonsensical argument- there's so much wrong with it there's no point even going into it.

 

[Neil]

I'd love to hear directly from all these foreigners who think our police are the best. Are these the same folk who want their countries to copy the NHS model because apparently it's the envy of the world too?

Call me mad if you like, but were I to fall sick, I'd rather be in good old blighty and be treated by the NHS, than anywhere else in the world.

Does that mean that no country has a better health service? No, but across the piece, I think they manage reasonably, despite being an ideological punchbag for the last few decades.

It isn't perfect, and has it's issues - mainly because idiots try to interfere with political rhetoric - but all the same, I've travelled to some normal and some diverse countries, and in terms of public service (NHS, police) I'd rather be dealt with by the police and NHS here.

That's not jingoism, that's pragmatism.

 

[joe careless]

No
And by the way, air rifles are NOT firearms.

I fully realise but the design and lb rating of gas hand guns and rifles is surprising and under regulated. A 390fps, fully automatic, 1;1 scale sniper rifle and a click away from purchasing on a UK website is plain daft and at the lower end of power ratings, 1000fps are available and this more or less the same as 9mm handgun.

 

[dyna-ti]

No
And by the way, air rifles are NOT firearms.

I fully realise but the design and lb rating of gas hand guns and rifles is surprising and under regulated. A 390fps, fully automatic, 1;1 scale sniper rifle and a click away from purchasing on a UK website is plain daft and at the lower end of power ratings, 1000fps are available and this more or less the same as 9mm handgun.

This is mostly the type of thing they'rs classing as a firearm.
How you can put it in the same catagory as a Glock 9mm or MP5 is beyond me

The below airpistol i had as a kid and it could not penetrate your own hand when fired at it from 15" away. We fired it in the back garden and even the park.
Airpistols make a distinctive and loud noise so its use would draw attraction,which would have been one of the parkies.
Now if we were to use it we would have 2 policemen turn up with machine guns, who would then point them at us and if we didnt do EXACTLY ,I reiterate that point EXACTLY what they say they have the right to shoot to kill.


So this air pistol has the same legal classification as a Heckler & Koch XM8 with AG-36 40mm grenade launcher :?

 

[Ian Raleigh]

This is for female officers

 

[Ian Raleigh]

Airpistols make a distinctive and loud noise so its use would draw attraction,which would have been one of the parkies.
Now if we were to use it we would have 2 policemen turn up with machine guns, who would then point them at us and if we didnt do EXACTLY ,I reiterate that point EXACTLY what they say they have the right to shoot to kill.

Blimey I've just read that bit matey and this is a shocker!

My son in law two years ago had purchased a plastic BB firing machine gun and went on the park with his mates and sat in a quite corner firing at a proper foam practice board, well an hour went by and they heard police sirens and thought nothing of it, until half a dozen cop cars came onto the park and came straight at the bewildered youths, then all hell breaks loose and several coppers jump out shouting 'armed police put your weapon down' My son in law looked at the coppers pointing there guns directly at him, so he placed it on the ground and the coppers came over and kicked the 'weapon' to one side and then made him lay face down and handcuffed him! He was totally shocked and unaware what just happened. After the police was told that the machine gun was a plastic toy machine gun and not a real one, it calmed down a bit but the head copper wasn't having none of it, then snapped the plastic gun in half and arrested me son in law, then took all the other youths too, to the police station, son in law was fined £80 and his mates got a warning.

Turns out an unknown woman on the park dialled 999 and told the police someone was firing a real machine gun.

 

[highlandsflyer]

I'd love to hear directly from all these foreigners who think our police are the best. Are these the same folk who want their countries to copy the NHS model because apparently it's the envy of the world too?

Call me mad if you like, but were I to fall sick, I'd rather be in good old blighty and be treated by the NHS, than anywhere else in the world.

Does that mean that no country has a better health service? No, but across the piece, I think they manage reasonably, despite being an ideological punchbag for the last few decades.

It isn't perfect, and has it's issues - mainly because idiots try to interfere with political rhetoric - but all the same, I've travelled to some normal and some diverse countries, and in terms of public service (NHS, police) I'd rather be dealt with by the police and NHS here.

That's not jingoism, that's pragmatism.

Not for the first time Neil makes the point well and firmly. Can't counter the logic. As an ex NHS employee I feel the whole debate intensely. I love the NHS.

 

[KDM]

Re:

Dyna

Thanks for the chart, very helpfully.

Showing how their use has jumped quite a bit and being drawn more often but also showing when they are drawn that the percentage of them actually being fired is lower.

Not sure of your source but could you have access the amount of times firearms are drawn and how often they are actually fired ?

If as I suspect the results are the same i.e. The amount of times they are deployed/drawn has gone up but the amount of times they are fired has gone down. Then despite the scaremongers claims, it would suggest more firearms are not a bad thing and if anything it diffuses many situations.

 

[lumos2000]

all i can ad is that the system we have in place at the moment is probably sufficient for the uk. i wouldent like to see police carrying guns here, i think we are the envy of the world in that respect.

I doubt that very much.

I'd love to hear directly from all these foreigners who think our police are the best. Are these the same folk who want their countries to copy the NHS model because apparently it's the envy of the world too?

We might be the envy of the world in making whisky and gentlemen's suits. For anything else it's a vague, immeasurable phrase used by people making a nonsensical argument- there's so much wrong with it there's no point even going into it.

im not going to put them all in touch with you but when I talk to most of the students here, believe me quite a few. they are all surprised that the police here can function properly, I have to tell my Brazilian friends that if they have a problem its ok to ask the police for help
im not saying that they think they are the best but they are a lot more approachable than most other countrys in world. have you ever asked a Brazilian cop for directions. my advice is don't.

immeasurable phrase used by people making a nonsensical argument- there's so much wrong with it there's no point even going into it.

then why did you?