Jun 7, 2017 at 11:38 AM | Mailman

Noted and accepted!

I'm getting just a tad concerned about all these BH commenters, many with whom I may have had disputes in the past, who are also seemingly so knowledgeable about the intricacies of firearms.

To return to the subject of police firearms. The current firearms officer armed with a Glok 17 in a strapped down holster is like something out of the wild west, however it is probably appropriate for them what I advocate for a P.C. or D.C. on the beat is a concealed weapon such as a PPK in .38 calibre.

Jun 7, 2017 at 9:07 AM | Ross Lea

Suggest you type Glock and Subcompact into Google. Available in various calibres. Other well known manufacturers have similar product ranges.

The length of a handgun is defined by barrel length.

The height and thickness of a handgun is governed by the number of rounds in the magazine. 6 rounds neatly stacked in a magazine take up a smaller volume than 10-15+. It is lighter, and spare magazines can be carried more discretely.

Most forces prefer to have ammo that can be used in various handguns. The UK and NATO tend to use 9mm. A 9mm round fired from a subcompact weapon is just as lethal at 10m as one fired from a longer barrelled, and bigger magazined weapon. A trained marksmen will notice a slight loss of accuracy on a 10m range, in calm conditions.

I see on the BEEB today: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-40158889

That "India launches 'monster' rocket"!

A country in receipt of our aid money, a net beneficiary of climate cash etc.....

The cheek!

From the "did I really, really read that?" Department. Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett in a Guardian column wrote about Trump today:

"Remember this is the man who allegedly withdrew from the Paris climate agreement because he felt undermined by Emmanuel Macron's strong handshake"

Do people really think such rubbish, are they that shallow? What's the Guardian's editor doing allowing such sh*te space in the newspaper. A new low?

Golf,

"how would you determine who is a good guy, and allowed to carry a gun, and who is a bad guy, and not allowed to carry a gun?"

Contrary to popular opinion not everyone can own a firearm in America (each state has its own laws that restricts or controls firearm ownership). Interestingly enough the States with the highest murder rates are also the States with the most restrictive firearms laws (as these only apply to law abiding citizens).

The "right to bear arm" lobby is also one of the few groups who are actually concerned with protecting citizens rights. If ONLY something like that existed in the UK (I guess that is a bit of a novel approach instead of looking at everything as being a privilege granted by the Government at their whim). As they say, if you are prepared to give up a right then you probably don't deserve it to start with (ok, I don't think anyone actually said that but its still cool sounding! :).

The simple fact is gun laws only apply to law abiding citizens. Crims don't seem to be constrained so much in the UK.

Anyway, I guess this is all by the by and has feck all to do with Mann Made Global Warming (tm). We will just have to agree to disagree and enjoy the fact that us rational people can have a discussion without getting all shouty shouty like our Mann Made Global Warming (tm) catastrophiliacs do.

Regards

Mailman

I wish that were true but sensible debate has been losing ground against political correctness for as long as I can remember. The red tape grows and civil servants and lawyers grow rich on it. If Labour gets in I'll lose all hope for the country. The biggest decisions since WW2 and the PM a terrorist sympathiser, spendthrift, pushover. Even Labour MPs must be getting nervous in case they win. The only consolation will be that the lefty elites will pay just as much as the right wing elites they despise. I will do some new free degrees, have loads of health care for stuff I'm currently coping with and go on benefits. I'll have my money's worth one way or another.

Tomo, I and many people agree with everything you've just written. The question is - how do we cut the Gordion Knot? As you point out, there are swathes of our society tasked and determined to stop anything that deals with these problems. The Smarmi Chakrabarti brigde. The elite left have made it their goal in life to defend the indefensible. Like Rochdale, like these terrorists, the police just end up watching crimes happen.

Jun 7, 2017 at 9:07 AM | Ross Lea

The method of carrying a firearm, ie whether it is overt or covert, is defined by the policy in force.

A Heckler Koch (or similar) is a visible statement when carried, but not when in the boot of a car.

In the event of an incident, Armed Police don distinctive clothing. It helps prevent blue-on-blue, and helps the public understand the importance of their instructions.