Sometimes I wonder if it would be better if most police departments went back to revolvers. They miss over 70% of the time anyway, and a more limited capacity might cut back on the spray and pray shooting situations with all the liability issues that come from innocent bystanders being hit.
I do not agree. Most of my LE career was during the revolver era. My recollection is that the miss rate with revolvers was very high then too. As many generals have stated: "No plan survives contact with the enemy".
Have you done research that proves the miss rate is over 70%? And if so, what is the miss rate with revolvers during that era compared to the miss rate with semi-autos now? A percentage is meaningless until the two are compared.
When my department transitioned from revolvers to semi-autos, we did see a fair amount of spray/pray, from newer shooters. The veterans were accustomed to shot discipline from decades of revolver use. So that became a training issue. There was ample opportunity for this. We shot each month. Four shoots were mandatory, two day and two night. If one wanted to wear a qualification badge, and the attendant bragging rights, one had to have ten scores per year towards that award. There was the necessary added incentive.
That put the pressure on to exercise shot discipline, and how one is trained has been proven to be how one will react under pressure. It is that training and discipline that allows one to survive contact with an enemy. (Note: Let me be unequivocal here. When one is an LEO, and someone is attempting to kill you, that assailant is the enemy. I see no point in sugar coating this.).
I strongly believe LEOs should continue to be armed with semi-autos. Most assailants are, and LEOs have enough other issues to contend with without being undergunned. Many LEOs, myself included, work(ed) areas with gangs. Gangs travel in packs; it is how they derive their courage. Thus the LEOs must be prepared for multiple attackers.
Given that all this applies to LE, it also applies to non-LE. Once a person qualifies for CCW, they should have the choice to be as well armed as LE. I so strongly advocate this that I taught the CA CCW course for almost twenty years in our mountain community.
I still have my last personally owned duty revolver (S&W 27), plus my PPC revolvers, plus a couple of others (DA and SA). Recreationally I enjoy them all.
But my EDC is a semi-auto. My wife, who has been at my side most of my LE career, has shot both revolvers and semi-autos. Her preference has always been the semi-auto. She is extremely competent.
I think each of us has to assess what we individually believe will best serve us, and that becomes the tool for the job
I would never restrict LE (nor citizen CCW) from carrying semi-autos as was the speculative suggestion here.
