> If a couple of guys with easily available automatic weapons decide to stroll through a shopping mall I think that these sorts of incidents, and similarly the

> If a couple of guys with easily available automatic weapons decide to stroll through a shopping mall I think that these sorts of incidents, and similarly the Ned Kelly / North Hollywood Shootout incidents, are rare enough that we really should not be wasting resources planning for them. Have a few squad cars have guns locked away in the boot, only to be removed with explicit approval (perhaps unlocked remotely), and then proceed to not worry about something that will almost certainly never happen to you. These things rarely happen despite the fact that the required equipment is readily available. That's because there just are not that many people interested in shooting up lots of people. Particularly the Ned Kelly / North Hollywood situations... there is really no good reason to attempt to arrest those people while the crime is in process. Like how how high-speed chases should be handled, just fall back and arrest them later. Don't confront those people on their terms, use time to your advantage and arrest them later on your terms. That's not the appropriate attitude in every situation (for example, Columbine), but I think it is the appropriate attitude in nearly every situation.