I doubt Birmingham could have been prevented by armed police. The only thing that could of helped wa sismply not having such a free and easy access to guns in the first plac.e The only thing it is that this sort of thing is an abject rarity in the United kingdom and makes the news in the US it is an almost daily occurance. The simple fact is guns kill, a preponant of easy firearms access.

As for the SA-80...yep one pants rifle. A nice old bren gun would be more effective. It wasn't until HK got their hands on it that it started to work, but it is the ultimate lemon.