All very true points, and you will notice that I didn't say that the cops were in the right.
My main point, that none of you seemed to care about, was that the guys could have done more to diffuse the situation. Good ambassadors they were not. We all agree that the law was on their side. But how did it look? What kind of lasting impression did they leave. Gun owners are already fighting an uphill battle, no need to go in unprepared. They lost that battle in my opinion. They weren't prepared to cite exact laws, only that the law says so.