It is about time that we North Americans grew up and understood that guns, of any kind, are not essential to the regular policing of society. It seems that no matter how well trained the police are innocent people end up dead both here in Canada and in the U.S.
Even the Taser is a stupid weapon; when five burly RCMP officers faced down an erratic immigrant armed with a deadly single shot stapler they chose to taser him to death. Their cowardice being all too apparent in their trial as they tried to portray an image of helpless victims of circumstance.
Too frequently cops kill innocent people and yes until a person is found guilty, by the courts, they are all innocent. I dont know what Michael Brown, in Missouri was doing and really I dont care; he was unarmed and just an 18 year old kid; any well trained donut fed cop should have been able to handle him; without a gun. Even if a gun could be proved to have been essential killing him was not.
Guns breed guns and police should know this their job is to protect society without violence. Behave violently and violence is what comes back at you.
I would not expect cops to face down a gun wielding antagonist without proper defence. Even so I would expect them to only kill in the most dire of circumstances.
The absence of an armed police force fosters the concept of policing by consent. I have never trusted the police here I have never felt safe with them; a twenty something with a gun is not a good mix and will lead to testosterone infused incidents. Funny you dont hear of female cops killing people; I wonder why.
There may have been a time on this continent when law enforcement had to be controlled by the gun; but it is not so anymore. Guns are kept because men have a gun fetish and feel less than a man if they cannot wield a monster with the telling pump action, armor piercing self wanking power drive laser sighted erection maker.
Disarm all police now!