Give this man a gun!

Gary Souter likes a drink. And when he drinks, he can get a bit violent. In February, he was banned from every pub in Cardigan, South Wales, after getting in a brawl in a wine bar in which two people were injured. He himself was accused of assaulting a bouncer.

Would you give Gary Souter a gun?

For Dyfed-Powys Police, the answer is a resounding 'yes'. Because, not long after being banned from thirty pubs, Police Constable Gary Souter was transferred to the force's armed response team.

Now, personally, I support the right of all law-abiding citizens to possess a gun. And, since Souter has not actually been convicted of a crime, this could include him, at least in his private capacity. But, in a society in which it is illegal for most people to have a gun, is Gary Souter really the kind of person who should be singled out for the privilege, and responsibilities, of carrying one? And is he, in any event, the kind of person who should be part of a police armed response unit? After all, it is of the very nature of such units that they will often be involved in tense and potentially dangerous situations - situations calling for the exercise of a considerable degree of self-control and restraint, neither of which Souter appears to possess in any degree whatsoever.