Epic WTF

CNC use the G36? There are occasionally pics in the news as I live in Cumbria and I think it isn't the MP5. Not a weapons expert though.

No it's the driveway of Sunninghill Park, where the sweaty nonce and family lived prior to him selling it for more than twice the market value to a dodgy geezer laundering stolen Kazakhstani tenge (maybe). The Duke had just landed that helicopter and gone into the house. That was 2003 and my colleague, the photographer, was probably calling me a cunt at the time, hence the smirk.

I would like to try shoot one,

This verson is what i want
https://www.armsunlimited.com/Heckler-Koch-MP5-SD-9mm-Suppressed-Submachine-Gun-p/hk-mp5sd.htm

it's sorta legal in USA if it's origianal but the can is problematic in CA

MP5 is awesome, it’s like the global standard.

Kirth- lots of ranges in USA you can try one. The ammo is the killer. A few brrrrts and you’re broke.

If by 'I would like to try shoot one' you meant a sweaty nonce, I suspect that @Constable_Savage might tacitly agree. I find the idea of the great unwashed (us) having access to weapons specifically designed to kill people a little worrying. The licensed firearms I own are perfectly capable of killing a human (or nonce), but aren't designed for that specific purpose. Availability to us muppets, as opposed to allegedly well-balanced professionals, of killing machines is not a good idea, toys for a fun experience they are not.

Was that before or after your show with Gareth Hale?

America has a weird obsession with the AR15 as a solution for everything.

Yup. My thoughts on why:
M6 used in every US conflict since c. 1950, so lots of cultural exposure.
‘MilSpec’ is paradoxically a desirable gold seal for Average Joe USA, especially because it’s American Made.
Tons of aftermarket kit for the platform, lots sold by the same shareholders that influence US military policy (surprise!).
Recoil is barely a thing-It’s incredible if you’ve only shot handguns, shotguns and larger bore hunting rifles, which I expect is most newbie shooters.

I find the idea of the great unwashed (us) having access to weapons specifically designed to kill people a little worrying.

As a legal alien, I can’t stress how amazing a feeling it is not to have to worry every day about getting shot or caught up in a shooting.

Genuine question (you’ve just jogged my memory) - wtf are visible armed police (in train stations/airports/stadiums/etc) supposed to do with anything that requires less than armed response? They presumably can’t put the guns down, so does everything escalate to pointing them at people?

I like the way his finger is casually curled over the trigger.

That photo was 2003 so the MP5, Glock pistol, CS spray, handcuffs and an extending baton was it because I was in a "private" area. Now, out in the wild, armed cops have pepper spray, a baton, a taser, a sidearm (Glock) and an MP5 or maybe a longer weapon. This all depends on where they are deployed. Every encounter you have involves the cop thinking about where on the scale of equipment they start then whether to escalate or de-escalate. Everything has to be justified on a use of force form (unless you're the Met, probably)

Edit: At places like Chequers you'd also carry a couple of smoke grenades.

I think what D_H is asking, apologies if I'm mistaken, is what happens if an armed officer who's got an MP5 round their neck sees someone say nick a chocolate bar from a corner shop? Are they going to just swing the gun onto their back and arrest the suspect the old fashioned way?
Is there not risk for a firearms officer whenever they are involved in a situation but don't have hands on their gun?

Well armed coppers are there for a specific reason so any distraction from that could mean something will go wrong. You can't go rolling about on the ground with some urchin when you're all kitted up however you have to weigh up your options and threats. Is what is happening a deliberate distraction to take you away from your primary function? If you can detain someone for an unarmed cop to take away then that could be your option but you've always got to be aware that you cannot be sidetracked. It's a serious thing to be carrying a firearm about on the streets of the UK and if you're put in a postion where you have to use it you have to justify it. If you've put yourself into a situation you didn't need to be in then justification is more difficult.

Would you say that the presence of armed police modifies behaviour anyway so there's less chance of more petty criminal acts taking place? I only wonder because even though there are quite a few places in London that always have an armed presence it's still quite shocking when you see armed rozzers, whereas in France you see Gendarm casually waving around guns everywhere so you just get used to it.

Has no one here been to Northern Ireland? All police are armed at all times.

The number of people that used to say when pointing at the sidearm "Is that real?" The big guns were usually in the gun safe in the car until required. I think nowadays people are not shocked to see armed police because of exposure at transport hubs and abroad but because they're not everywhere they do moderate their behaviour. A drunk on a stag do walking past an armed cop suddenly sobers up a little when they spot the guns and then forgets to ask if they can wear your hat etc. Drunk ladies, in my experience, seem to be drawn to the firearms. In those cases it's best to relocate and remove yourself rather than the problem.

A friend of mine once had a big gun pointed at him for climbing a building by city filth, must have been an important building.

If you don't mind the Q and A, are the UK police guns loaded when carried around?

Yes

As @TGR says. When I started in police firearms we had S&W Model 10, 4" .38 revolvers and pump action shotguns when at rural protection jobs like Chequers. Then we got MP5s instead of shotguns and patrol state was magazine, safety on and nothing in the chamber. This was the same in other forces. I think Wiltshire were protecting someone and baddies were on the gravel driveway at night. Before challenging the cops had to rack the bolt back to get a round in the breech which alerted the baddies who ran away. So the patrol state then became "one up the spout" and safety on. Then we got Glocks which were one up the spout but they don't have a switchable safety. There are safeties present to prevent it going off but if you pull the trigger it goes bang. We were shown various real life scenarios of a knifeman versus an armed holstered officer and at up to 6 metres knifeman usually wins. In a weapons drawn and ready it's always finger on trigger too. As we know it's all about marginal gains.
Edit. I can only talk with any authority on police firearms up to 2016 when I retired.

Interesting thanks for taking the time to reply.

Yeah v.interesting thanks

Yeah that’s exactly it, does minor crime that doesn’t warrant firing a gun get ignored to an extent?
Having said that, my friends got nicked by armed police for pinching a cardboard cutout of Noel Edmonds - difference being it was a van that happened to be passing by and the big guns stayed in the van!

Thanks for the answers btw, makes sense.

At your service....