Im not sure why more officers are not issued the MP5. In fact, this weapon should be issued to all officers to carry around as their standard firearm.
I have used many types of weapons and my opinion of each is the following. M16-like weapons are bulky and isnt comfortable to carry around for any period of time. When I was in the military, the M16 felt like a 3rd wheel. You had to be very careful with it in ways of cleaning or it would have reliability issues. I remember firing it at the range and having it jam up on me. I was thinking if this how it reacted at a firing range then I would hate to be using it if I was under real fire.
Pistols are alright, but not generally all that accurate and not so effective.
The only weapon that I thought was absolutely perfect was the MP5. The one I have used was ancient, 10+ year old relic, but it seemed so accurate, reliable and easy to fire. On full automatic, it was so easy to fire short bursts of fire in an accurate fashion. It was also very light and compact, not so hard to carry around for extended periods of time. Although it was 9mm, a 3-5 round burst of 9mm will stop someone. I have no doubt about that. In fact, I think the 9mm version is probably better then the 40 cal version because the 9mm is a lot easier to fire on auto then the 40.
On television, I see the British have adopted the MP5 as their standard police weapon and why not? This is the best sidearm that I can think of to carry.
I have no idea why the police in the United States have not adopted this weapon as their standard patrol firearm.
I guess no one wants to see a soldier-like figure in their backyard and prefer the regular cop sporting his Glock. However, I would feel much better having the uniformed officers having superior effective firepower rather then these smallish not so accurate pistols that cant stop with just one shot.
The British and Europeans have learned
