British police and weapons

The recent terrorist attacks in England have caused the police in Great Britain to examine the current and long standing policy of police not carrying firearms. Traditionally the typical police officer in contact with the public would not be armed with a firearm. The British police are heavily trained to defuse conflict situations and to quickly respond to situations before they escalate. If force is necessary the police carry expandable batons, CS tear gas, and tasers. When comparing Britain and the U.S. weapons policies some facts must be considered. The first fact is the preponderance of firearms in the U.S. and Britain and how many homicides are committed with firearms. For example:

Number of guns per 100 citizens, United States: 88; Britain: 6.2

Percentage of homicide by guns; United States: 67.5; Britain: 6.6

Further, it is more difficult to buy firearms in Britain, so even criminals have traditionally not carried these weapons. This situation has changed with the increase in terrorist violent activities. The Armed Response Units of the British police have not normally been on routine patrol with visible firearms. For that reason the public is not used to seeing armed police patrolling on the streets. Until now the presence of these armed police units could be interpreted as a sign of a pending violent confrontation causing the public to react fearfully. For that reason Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, reassured Londoners to not be alarmed by the sight of these armed police officers. The officers' presence are a preventative measure and not a reaction to a current violent incident.

President Trump reacted to the Mayor's statement by mocking him and by taking part of the Mayor's statement out of context. London Mayor Khan's statement was, "Londoners will see an increased police presence today and over the course of the next few days. No reason to be alarmed. One of the things the police and all of us need to do is make sure we're as safe as we possibly can be. I am reassured that we are one of the safest global cities in the world, if not the safest global city in the world, but we always evolve and review ways to make sure we remain as safe as we can."

Trump's apparent inability to understand a clear statement by an ally says a lot about him.

Jack Dragoni attended Boston College and served in the U.S. Army in Berlin and Vietnam. He lives in Chaffee, Missouri.