Some people believe that if a police force carries guns, this encourages higher level of violence in that society. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Police officers being armed are thought by some to have had a detrimental effect on society. I fully support this opinion since holding guns can not only lead to police gun violence, but also worsen the situations by upgrading violence degree.

Firstly, there is no evidence that carrying guns openly would deter gangsters from having their own weapons. Instead, a large amount of people may be intimidated therefore bring a gun in case of emergencies. Likewise, criminals will resort to carrying guns for the most minor of crimes. This means that the whole society will be influenced and the crime rate could possibly go up. For example, a shop burglary may end up being a shoot-out, sadly this might have accidentally hurt other cops and innocent civilians. Even worse, it could cause serious casualty which is totally unnecessary.

Another point to consider is that police officers are only human, they too can make mistakes. It is an undeniable fact that weapons are the root of violence, police shootings may result in accidental injury or manslaughter. According to a Washington Post investigation, 1 in 13 people killed by guns are killed by police. Although most of the gun related deaths are justifiable acts of self-defense, numerous law-abiding citizens still feel threatened by the large-scale firearm use.

Besides, guns are responsible for creating a more cruel society in general. With the degree of social tolerance for firearms increasing, the level of violence could surely escalate. Admittedly, arming the police will only add fuel to the cycle of gun violence.

To sum up, while I do reckon policemen should have the right to defend themselves, and they deserve all the support from the public. It is also indisputable that guns do exacerbate existing violence as well as intensify the conflicts, thus making gun control imperative.