> People are unarmed in Europe, so shooting at them is almost never necessary.
Has it occurred to you that cause and effect are non-obvious?
AIUI part of the reason most UK police does not carry a gun is precisely a policy of de-escalation — if the police doesn’t carry a gun, criminals don’t feel the need to match their firepower. Inversely, the fact that American law inforcement treats their beat like a warzone probably contributes to an escalation of violence on the other side too.
Same concept different application: escaping prison isn’t a crime in Germany. You will still be chased by law enforcement to serve the rest of your sentence but the act of running away isn’t a crime unto itself. This means an escapee is likely to avoid committing further crimes on their way out to avoid worsening their sentence, while an American escapee, facing a large penalty for escape itself, is likelier to take an in for a penny, in for a pound approach.
> if the police doesn’t carry a gun, criminals don’t feel the need to match their firepower.
I'm not convinced. Committing crimes, esp. robberies, is much easier with guns. Not to mention that a lot of criminals are involved in intra- an intergang relations and in such environment, a drug dealer without a gun (for example) wouldn't last very long.
I think in America, it is too late. The arms race between police and criminals has gone on for too long. If police stop carrying guns, criminals aren't going to magically stop carrying the guns they already have.
Has it occurred to you that cause and effect are non-obvious?
AIUI part of the reason most UK police does not carry a gun is precisely a policy of de-escalation — if the police doesn’t carry a gun, criminals don’t feel the need to match their firepower. Inversely, the fact that American law inforcement treats their beat like a warzone probably contributes to an escalation of violence on the other side too.
Same concept different application: escaping prison isn’t a crime in Germany. You will still be chased by law enforcement to serve the rest of your sentence but the act of running away isn’t a crime unto itself. This means an escapee is likely to avoid committing further crimes on their way out to avoid worsening their sentence, while an American escapee, facing a large penalty for escape itself, is likelier to take an in for a penny, in for a pound approach.