[quote=Omega]
I could understand police in the US not carrying guns if the violent crime rate in the US and the usage of guns and knives in criminal offenses was lower. As it stands it is rather high nationwide. If we can get gun crime down to similar levels as the UK I would be willing to discuss an immense drawdown for the firepower of US police forces.
[/quote]

The UK's gun crime percentile is low because firearms in the UK are heavily restricted; if anything, they're borderline outlawed. The idea that firearms are the primary tool utilized for committing violent crimes in human societies is largely a myth. If people are going to commit violence, they're going to do it [i]with or without[/i] a firearm. 

Additionally, when population adjustments are implemented, the UK is [b]astronomically[/b] more violent than the United States:

[url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/5712573/UK-is-violent-crime-capital-of-Europe.html]

[url=http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-2011/violent-crime/violent-crime]

Humans are inherently violent creatures. Our ancestors have been kicking each other's asses and the asses of other animals long before gunpowder was even a thing.

The militarization of America's police force is not going to solve anything. It's only going to make things worse, because you're going to begin to see more Ferguson-like cases as time goes on. The FBI site I linked above actually shows a downward trend when it comes to violent crime in the US.