As a firefighter I like knowing that most(?) bad guys know that we’re not there to shoot them. But times have definitely changed. As a brand new firefighter, I responded to the Rodney King riots in L.A.. and it was, indeed, scary. Personally, I can’t imagine us ever wearing guns on our hips. But, with the gaining momentum of mass shootings and the potential of terrorist acts, it might not be a bad idea for future first responders to have specialized defense and, quite possibly, weapons training.