It’s a matter of perspectives. Police executives, and the governmental entities that assign their budgets, know that shootings are relatively uncommon in the scope of everything else that police do day to day . Ammunition, training time, and ranges are all expensive. Thus, firearms training is one of the first things to suffer when money is tight and budgets get cut.

Cop versus armed citizen in skill? I would have to say that the average cop will be a better shot than the average “gun owner,” simply because he is given at least some solid training base and mandated to demonstrate his skill at least sometimes. However, the serious gun enthusiast will outshoot the average cop.

By the same token, the average cop is a better driver than the average motorist: more training, more experience in emergency driving, and in the patrol division, more time behind the wheel. However, your professional or amateur race driver will out-drive the average cop. More dedication, more training, more intense practice time. Same difference.

We also have some superb shooters among the cops. World-class champions like Bob Vogel in IDPA, John Pride and Bruce Piatt in NRA Action Pistol, and Ron Avery in IPSC/USPSA shooting have all given the lie to the old canard that “cops can’t shoot.”

There are some studies that show armed citizens to exhibit a higher hit potential than cops. Part of that is different patterns of encounter. The police officer often has to respond to a crime in progress where the bad guys know he’s coming and are ready to ambush him when he shows up. His targets tend to be dodging, weaving, and often ensconced in motor vehicles. A review of the Armed Citizen column in American Rifleman magazine shows that when the armed citizen fights back, he’s usually very close to a target that has no hard cover, and has the advantage of surprise.

I take the easy answer: find more training and practice time for cops and armed citizens alike!

best,
Mas