Originally Posted By: Nickdfresh
Anyone who has spent any time in an army knows that they sure as [censored] do not want some of the 18 or 19 year old morons they serived with taking their automatic weapons home with them. They'd be great fun at off base house parties after all. Military officers are allowed to carry I believe, but could be wrong about that.
The police officer analogy doesn't really work because police are screened more so than the average enlisted person is and more rigorously trained to carry weapons in civil society than soldiers primarily trained to kill.
When I was in the Army in the early 90's, I was told we were not trained in hand-to-hand combat (or knife fighting) to any degree other than a few basic, lame judo throws because soldiers had a bad habit of using their mad ninja skills in bar brawls and street fights causing litigation. I believe that has since been rectified since the War on Terra..
Officers don't carry, either.
Some police departments are harder to get into than some military specialties. Some are not. There are plenty of military members, yes, young enlisted ones, who are smarter and better trained than local cops. (I've had sailors in my reserve unit who ARE local cops...they are my source).
The point about training is a good one - police serve in civil society, military serves in combat. Part of the concern over the militarization of the police is that when on a war footing, the public begins to look like the enemy....