In 2011, German police fired 85 bullets at people.

[Syt]

Funny little factoid from EUOT:

http://news.yahoo.com/german-police-used-only-85-bullets-against-people-155155175.html

According to Germany's Der Spiegel, German police shot only 85 bullets in all of 2011, a stark reminder that not every country is as gun-crazy as the U.S. of A. As Boing Boing translates, most of those shots weren't even aimed anyone: "49 warning shots, 36 shots on suspects. 15 persons were injured, 6 were killed."

Technically, about 9,000 more shots were fired at sick and dangerous animals. (Germany, why do you kill your animals?) But since we couldn't watch the end of Old Yeller, we'll look the other way on those humanitarian shootings.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., where the population is little less than four times the size of Germany's, well, we can get to 85 in just one sitting, thank you very much. 84 shots fired at one murder suspect in Harlem, another 90 shot at one fleeing unarmed man in Los Angeles. And that was just April. So we bring you Germany's shot total in case you forgot about America shoots itself in the foot with its manic love of guns.

By comparison, it was a somewhat big deal when a policeman in Vienna emptied his clip/magazine into a woman attacking him with knives. Tasing her hadn't worked. Amazingly, all shots hit, but she survived. Conclusion: Austrian police sucks at lethal force (except when they shoot a teenager breaking into a supermarket at night).

[DGuller]

American cops may shoot loads of people, but at least they don't fire recklessly in the air.

[Sheilbh]

I searched for British figures and found an article on this. Apparently there's no nationwide figures, but the Met fire 6 shots in 2009-10. So presumably similarly low or a little bit lower, which makes sense given how few police have/are allowed to use guns.

[Duque de Bragança]

85 bullets would elicit laughs from a Marseille cop as well. 

[Ideologue]

How many did they fire at Jews, Slavs, Gypsies, homosexuals and the mentally ill?

[CountDeMoney]

German police shot only 85 bullets in all of 2011

How many did they fire in 1939?

[Darth Wagtaros]

How many did they fire at Jews, Slavs, Gypsies, homosexuals and the mentally ill?

They only keep track of bullets fired at what the Germans consider to be real humans?

[Syt]

German police shot only 85 bullets in all of 2011

How many did they fire in 1939?

Inside or outside Germany's borders?

[garbon]

I should have guessed it was content from The Atlantic Wire. Why do any news media outlets ever repost the content AW aggregates? Always pretty shit.

[Ideologue]

German police shot only 85 bullets in all of 2011

How many did they fire in 1939?

I bet David Glantz knows how many they fired in 1943.  In fact, I bet there's at least three tables about it.

[mongers]

German police shot only 85 bullets in all of 2011

How many did they fire in 1939?

I bet David Glantz knows how many they fired in 1943.  In fact, I bet there's at least three tables about it.

Well 11B4V probably knows the soviet totals for that year, and by calibre too.   

[Tonitrus]

German police shot only 85 bullets in all of 2011

How many did they fire in 1939?

Inside or outside Germany's borders?

Then we could argue about the borders they actually had, would have, or would like to have had.