UK: Was this lawful killing?

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Agree it does sound like they made a mistake but people seem to forget that the police are just human beings like you or I and are therefore not perfect. If you don't want to push a policeman to a point where he has to make a split second decision and therefore could make the wrong one then don't go buy a gun and carry it around the streets

There was also a report saying the gun was in a box in the taxi.

I am sure there are a lot of people out there buying and carrying guns. Sending in an armed police squad for this one guy seems quite OTT. It must have all been part of some larger case going on and he must have been wanted for other things too.

But I think it is tragic seeing as the guy has children and as far as we can tell he did not threaten anybodies life at the moment he was shot.

Tu quoque fallacy.
If you can find me a quote of a British poster criticising American law enforcement and saying British law enforcement is perfect, then you might have made a valid point. Your post would still be hypocritical though - you object so forcefully to any criticism of your country (no matter what degree of basis in fact that criticism has), but are perfectly happy to go around criticising other countries.

I suppose the only reason one would by a gun would be to use it.

I don't think he bought it to put in a display cabinet.

Duggan got killed as a result of that gun, at least nobody else died as a result of it.

Some parts of London, and other cities in the UK, are dangerous places. A lot of young people carry weapons for their own protection. This issue is ignored by most politicians and media outlets.

As a Londoner who has lived in some of the most violent places such Johannesburg South Africa, Luanda Angola, Kingston Jamaica, London just isn't that violent in practice. Even the most violent places aren't no go places, you would have to go back to the 80s when that was the case.

The number of actual homicide per year cases is small fry compared to some other major cities even in developed world. What we have is a healthy perception of crime. The historical London was very violent, but then you wouldn't bat a eyelid if you were living in those times.

I mean the nature of this isn't all that unusual in other places, the fact that it is noteworthy in the UK, is due the fact that is less common to have these sort of outcomes.

I think evaluating it to guns is vastly simplistic though, it is mostly culture. Mark Dugan is an example of that.

Some are copying some of the gang banging from the US. Most of it involves people younger than Dugan, though. These group aren't generally profitable or organized. They only start to make money when they are used by a more organized, but lower profile criminal gangs. However they are merely associates and intended to be the weakest link in the chain, the "fall guys".

However this is only after they trying to make a name for themselves. The vast majority of them are more of a "club" than gang, just kids who like to cause trouble, and play bang bang, and have tiffs with people from a rival estate.

In the case of Dugan he was older and a parent, and he received the weapon from a known gang affiliate, who had previous used this weapon in extorting money from small businesses.

The gang Dugan was associated with was more serious, I'm not saying that they were big time, but they have a "business" or sorts. They are known, various areas of London to the police and some of the local communities (although less likely if you are middle class).

I've used all of mine but not on people.

I don't think it's ignored at all. In the past five years or so, there has been a big drive to stop young people carrying weapons, because they were more likely to be used against them.

I don't think Mark Duggan was carrying for his own protection.

I used to be of that mind set myself, until I was actually in a position where I pulled a weapon on a group of lads who attacked me. It was at that moment when I realised how easy it would be to cause a person damage.

I have never carried a weapon around with me since.

It bothered me more to think that I could have hurt somebody than it hurt me that someone had attacked me.

I don't think some people understand the reality of what can actually happen as a result of carrying a weapon around.

Not all will learn as you did.

I don't think we can escape the fact that a lot of housing estates are rough places for youngsters. These youngsters may be part of the problem, but I find it hard to believe most of them are not afraid of their lives and where they live.