Guns

[quattro]

In view of the recent news coverage given to gun control should the police be permanently armed in this country as opposed to the current situation where they use armed response units

[andy hughes]

This is a tricky one. The problem with people carrying guns is they tend to get used for their original purpose, and people get shot, and that applies to the police as well as the criminal fraternity. It is apparent from the government response to the tragedy in Birmingham that they are looking to reduce gun crime by legislation, rather than by figthing 'fire with fire. The notion that rap, or indeed any art from is a serious incitement to violence is the usual hysterical nonsense that surfaces at times like this. If art creates life, which it doesn't, instead of reflecting life, which it does, then the Royal Shakespere Company are in trouble - all Shakespear's tragedies will have to go for a start - violence personified for four hundred years . tut tut, where will it all end?

[comloulou]

Very very bad idea. You arm the police, the unarmed criminals get guns and you enter a vicious circle. Not only that but has anyone else noticed how the police always seem to shoot to kill? I think highly trained marksmen should be able to disable an armed person without killing them. Would you trust your average bobby (and Ive nothing against them) to run about with guns? Going in at street level to tackle gun crime has got to be prefereble to arming everyone in response.

[rinkytink]

I say arm the police. If criminals are running around with guns then they deserve to get shot - and killed if that's what it takes. It wouldn't bother me in the slightest if some of the idiots who are ruining this country get killed.

[quattro]

It's strange how things change in a few days when I posted this answer the incident in Manchester had'nt occurred if those policemen had been armed would it have changed things? whether it would or not I think if all police were armed it would make them even bigger targets than they are now . There should be more gun control what happened to all those laws that were supposedly brought in after Dunblane banning hand guns?

[mykola]

Einstein i dont want to say your wrong but Countries where the police are armed also tend to be those with the very worst levels of violence. it could be the exeption to the rule but in austria all police are armed .the old ones who patroll or live in tiny villages also in the larger cities. the crime rate here (with use of guns ) is really very low.