cops with guns are a very tender subject, especially here in America. with our right to bear arms being such a practiced right in many ways, it does put the police at a disadvantage in the sense that someone is allowed to own almost any weapon, depending on the means by which it was acquired. And many people the police are about to use almost deadly force upon are almost always breaking the law and could have any type of weapon to their advantage.

that said, last year there were 5 people killed by cops, and 4 of which seemed like they were times in which non lethal force was a not only acceptable, but practical, and effective measure against the guilty parties. One in particular, was on foot, and was only wielding a pair of scissors while on drugs. this man could have been apprehended without being shot at all, especially with 9 other cop units providing backup to the one who shot.

but there have been shootouts, like the LA bank robbery, so there needs to be a practical response to these situations in a quick manner, but to the degree that the police are really wannabe soldiers, and take their aggressions and horomones out on unsuspecting victims many times.