Dallas police get more firepower

Officers will be allowed to carry semiautomatic weapons

This was all over the local news last night. Almost too funny, but mostly pathetic.

Some say it's been a long time coming, but the weapon they'll be carrying is potent - and their most powerful ever.

The weapon known as the AR-15 is not a machine gun, but it's close: a seven-pound, semi-automatic rifle that fires a 223-caliber bullet, with an effective range of 200 yards.

That's right, in the hands of the police, it's a semi-automatic rifle. In the hands of a civilian, it's an "assault weapon."

The good news is that they'll be required to take a 40-hour training class (most police are not very good at handling their firearms. Sorry, but it's true.). The bad news is that the city's not paying for them - the cops have to buy their own. As they're finding out, they're not cheap.