And why should we be concerned?
British Even Take Guns From Royal Bodyguards
By now, we know that the British aren’t fond of guns to any degree. After all, their own police are generally unarmed, something that would never fly here in the United States.
Thankfully.
But just how bad is it? It seems the British government has opted to disarm at least some bodyguards of members of the royal family.
Royal bodyguards responsible for keeping the outcast Prince Andrew and a number of other royals safe have had their guns swapped out for cheaper tasers, it has been reported.
The royal protection officers assigned to Princess Anne and Prince Edward have also allegedly lost their firearms as part of a drive to reduce protection costs for minor royals and politicians, the Sun reports.
The thing is, while tasers cost less, they’re also less effective. Especially if you have multiple attackers, something members of the royal family might well have to face.
Would those who have made this decision think the cost savings are worth it should one of these members of the royal family be kidnapped or murdered because their bodyguards lacked the appropriate tools?
Met Police personal protection officers guarding The Queen, Prince Charles, Prince William and Duchess Kate will still carry pistols.
And it is believed that when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are visiting the UK from their new home in LA, their officers too will only be armed with stun guns.
The move is reportedly part of a drive to move expenses from protective duties into other departments such as terror and gang crime.
But the cuts – alongside the fact that officers have been told their roles have become more advisory and less active – have not gone down well with senior staff.
Oh, I can’t imagine why. “Hey, I know you’re responsible for protecting these members of the royal family, but we’re going to hamstring your ability to do it by taking away the most effective tool for the job. But at least we’ll save a bit of money!”
Yeah, that’s a winning argument.
Of course, this is the British we’re talking about here. While they may like their royals, they really hate guns and seem to think you can get along just fine without them. Which is why a terrorist with a knife is able to run amok striking fear into many a heart in the city until some dude fights back with a narwhal tusk.
Here, we just shoot the bastard and call it a day.
Remember what happened when terrorists tried to attack an art show in Texas? They never even made it out of the parking lot.
Frankly, protecting royals is the kind of job I wouldn’t do on a bet, and that’s if they armed me for the job. Every one of them is a huge target and everyone knows it. It’s only a matter of time before this results in one of them being killed or kidnapped.
At that point, we Americans are going to shrug and recognize that this kind of thing wouldn’t happen if their bodyguards had the means to put down attackers like rabid dogs.