Quite an interesting array of responses, and as I expected, much ignorance from the uninformed folks in our forum. Shadow, with his many years of experience, is right on the money. The issuing of assault rifles seems to be a typical "knee jerk" reaction aimed more at easing the public's nerves than being a quick fix for the problem at hand.
And as far as the ammunition we Law Enforcement Officers use, yes, my agency issues every one of us the same hollow point rounds for our Glock .45's and the same hollow point rounds for our M16A1's. The metro/city agencies use frangible ammo. It is NOT our option to choose. My agency has reluctantly conceded the need for assault style rifles over the last five or six years, with only those of us with prior military experience being allowed to carry them at first, and even then we had to supply our own rifles. We eventually were issued military surplus equipment, and practically all of us proudly carry our weapons in the front seat of our cruisers, where, as Shadow alluded to, it would take less than four seconds for a methed up dirtbag to break a window out and have the rifle at the ready. Then your weapon is a serious liablity.
What the general public doesn't seem to get is the fact that we have to follow rules, unlike the bad guys, who have the ACLU on their side, standing up for their rights. And the latest trend is the young punks who are "gangsta wannabes", carrying the heat around with them just waiting for an excuse to use it. It's really getting out of control folks, and it's going to get worse before it gets better.
As for the armor piercing ammo, it is a crime to sell it, but it is NOT a crime to possess it, unless you intend to use it in the commision of a crime!? Well what else are you gonna do with it, hunt Elk that are wearing body armor? That's another issue. Law enforcement generally have the lightest armor available, (SWAT/TAC teams excluded) especially here in Florida. Why? Because of the expense and because it's so hot and humid. My vest is made to withstand a hit from a handgun, not a supersonic round from a .223 or a 7.62.Many officers neglect to wear it at all becase it's like wearing a coat in July. Try standing in the sun on hot pavement when it's 98 degrees with 90% humidity and see how long it takes you to come out of it. I've worked traffic crashes for an hour or more in weather like that.
Folks, this problem didn't happen overnight and it's not gonna get fixed overnight. It's time for the lawmakers to do what is needed to win this war on street crime. It's also time for citizens to act responsibly and report illicit activity instead of taking the "not my problem" approach.
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