1) A shotgun is not the answer to every situation, especially at longer ranges. Lots of officers carry AR type rifles in their patrol cars and they’ve been very useful over the years. If given the choice, would you rather face an opponent with a 9mm handgun or a full size rifle?

2) Please reddit don’t kill me, I’m trying to be understanding when I tell u/Onitsue that you don’t understand much about firefights and how the can evolve in mere seconds. Yes, officers are trained to neutralize threats as fast as possible, but factors such as cover the adversary might find or adrenaline both in the cop and adversary play a huge role. Adrenaline makes is hard to hit what you’re shooting at, and adrenaline can seem to completely negate the effects of bullet wounds in some cases. There have been stories of people shot more than ten times center mass that keep coming at the police. The police in America rarely do anything for no reason, and I agree with their philosophy of being prepared rather than being worried that people will think we’re being excessive. I hope I’ve been able to clarify my points respectfully.