chris writes:

Maybe that's why our police don't kill people half as often - there's
almost no chance the guy behind the wheel has a gun, so no need to
shoot him if he comes at you???

This is certainly true in France. The average person has no gun, so when you
are stopped by the side of the road, if you open the door or get out of the
car, you don't have to worry about being shot. At the same time, the cops are
reasonably sure that anyone who pulls a gun is a hardened crook, and not an
innocent person exercising his right to carry a firearm. Thus, they don't
have to constantly worry about having to draw and shoot in normal situations,
and they don't have to ask themselves if someone pointing a gun at them is
just a regular guy protecting himself.