Hi Humans,
There has been much in the news from both sides of the political spectrum about police shooting unarmed civilians and more recently of 2 New York policemen who were shot and killed by a civilian while they were sitting in their car. The common factor in most of these cases was the use of a gun. Policemen do face danger at times and have to make quick decisions about whether or not to shoot because many people own guns. For a policeman, firing the gun when he suspects danger and it turns out to be otherwise can result in tragedy. After all, the public expects to be protected by the police not shot by them. On the other hand, not firing the gun when it turns out that the suspect has a gun and shoots the policeman can cause tragedy to the policeman and his family. In Great Britain outside of Northern Ireland, police do not routinely carry guns, and gun ownership by the general public is strictly controlled. As a result the British homicide rate is much lower than that in the USA.
Protests for or against the police will not solve the problem. The solution is getting guns out of the hands of the public. Then after a period of time when it becomes apparent that the police no longer need guns, they can also stop carrying guns. It won't happen overnight, but the time to start is now.
Chloe
