KRISS and the Police

Tam brings up a good point wrt to the falling out of favor of pistol carbines on the nations police forces.  Cops are adopting short AR derivatives for when they are really serious, eschewing the old favorite, the MP5, or equivalent.

So the KRISS carbine has an uphill battle to get widespread adoption of it's .45 submachine gun by the boys in blue.

Why are cops going to the AR.  Part of it military vets that sign up at the police academdy don't need a lot of extra training.  They are already through the familiarization process, at least.  And even non-mil cop wannabes have a greater chance of having used an AR platform because it's so ubiquitous.

Other reasons?  The North Hollywood shoot out in the 1990s.  Determined, body-armored, professional bank robbers made a hash out of things when cornered and cops with 9mm pistols were going again crooks with automatic 7.62x39mm machine guns.  The police, re-armed with MP5, or what have you, would get the value add in a repeat situation that they'd probably desire, so actual rifle rounds out of the trunk gun became in fashion.  Though if the Hollywood cops had had a few .30-30... things would have been less messy too.  But a cowboy lever gun isn't as cool.

There is also the militarization of police forces that is a sadder commentary on our Republic.  If you are going to play soldier in a domestic setting you should have soldier guns, right?

It's this last thing that could be the saving grace of widespread adoption of the KRISS carbine, in the unlikely event there is backlash against SWAT abuses and a widespread policy change to revert back to pistol caliber arms for policemen.  Unlikely.  The cops are still going up against robbers with rifle caliber guns on rare instances, and the cops have already spent a boatload of money getting every member (it seems) of the force a real M4 carbine.  Public displeasure with SWAT will have to be much greater to change that inertia and to do that there will need to be MORE future tragedies instigated by our law enforcement with subsequent drops in the morale of more conscientious police officers.  I don't want to see either just to help KRISS out.

A pity too.

[Update...  If I want a shoulder fired short rifle, I wouldn't get an AR even if I loved ARs.  Ever seen one of the those fired at the range?  Louder than the Ma Deuce, but in .223.  So an SBR KRISS has that edge in my book.  Especially if I was thinking home defense.  I can't find my cans at 3AM when the prowlers come.]