Weird isn't it. On the contrary, there are a lot of "bizzies" that would leave the service if they were forced to carry guns. In your country, where the average citizen can have a variety of guns: one for burglars, one for deer, one for shooting yourself whilst cleaning, etc., it's no wonder the criminals have no problem getting armed. I mean, who needs a semi-automatic assault rifle? The US constitution allows everyone to bear arms, which Charlton's lot vigorously defend ("...out of my cold, dead hands..."), but what they don't say is that the clause ends in "... in defense of the country." or some such. i.e. you're allowed to bear arms, as minutemen, to chase us Brits off. So why the hell is everyone popping caps at each other over there?

In the UK, after Dumblane (the elementary school in which several kids and a teacher were shot by a madman), even .22 pistols were outlawed. Like practiacally no-one is allowed any kind of gun, even kept in locked gun clubs. So any guns the criminals get hold of are illegally obtained. Yes, I know the majority of them in the US are too, but, hell, there's a much bigger, richer pool to choose from - guns get mislaid, sold on illegally, passed to friends and lovers for protection, etc.

Finally, after the shooting of that Brazilian guy, perhaps it's just as well our cops aren't armed, eh? There have been several occasions over the last few decades where innocents have been blasted by overwhelming deadly force. One guy (who lived to tell the tale) was mistaken for a bad guy, and seriously ventilated while he sat in his Mini.

>I don't get it. Are the criminals just nicer over there? If the cops didn't carry guns over here, there would be a big shortage of cops.
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>>the UK and irish police forces are very similar, both do not, as a matter of course, carry guns but do have special sections, the special branch, anti terrorist units, that do. most if not all of the hard core criminals do carry guns but shootings are rare and at least in ireland if the special branch are called in they are in trouble as over here our top police train with the special ops in the army, so they are going to win every time.