I think this is the key point. In a society with as lax gun control as we have here, police are placed in much greater danger than they are in Europe, and their

I think this is the key point. In a society with as lax gun control as we have here, police are placed in much greater danger than they are in Europe, and their training is adjusted accordingly, with lethal repercussions. It also doesn't help that we leave our mentally-ill citizens to fend for themselves on the street, instead of giving them the care they need like most other first-world countries do. Put the two together, and American police are faced with the very real possibility of facing an armed crazy person any day they report for work.