One other thing, before I am written off as just being a jerk.
You've got a lot longer in this than I do, though our experiences are a bit different, you more brains and investigative, mine more as an operator; I have to ask, (and I'm bringing this up as an honest question), do you find that you've lost your fear of sidearms if you're armed with a longarm? I know that I have. In fact, I don't even like carrying my Glock 17 because it's just a waste of time, especially against vests. I'd rather carry my FAL and 7.62x51, and not worry about sidearms or vests on the other guys.
I'm asking that, because is society, as a whole, really ready to deal with that type of evil? I don't think it is, and while I seem the way I do, in my heart, I root for good and freedom, not control (by "good" or bad), but freedom.
I think it is a pertinent question every person, military, leo, or other should be asking themselves, and what I have written above, it'll come to pass in the next ten years, and I think we should be ready for it. SWAT, (which almost all of our leo's here are), doesn't cut it, especially when confronted with a convoy of 50 trucks of people that are all about evil and have been trained.
Society needs to be responsible for themselves, or..... evil wins. It just does.