I was over in the Gun Control thread in the Civil Liberties section participating in the discussion and I remembered something that I saw some years ago.
I was flying into Frankfurt on the German side, exiting the international terminal and I saw some Polizei roaming the area. These gentlemen were armed with submachine guns.
I am wondering a few things: first, do Polizei still carry sub-guns in the airport? Second, is this common throughout Europe? And third, Why can't we Americans get our police to carry machine guns?