police AR-15

The December massacre of 20 students and six staff members at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school led the chief of the Metro Nashville Police Department to decide patrol officers could start bringing their own AR-15 rifles to work.

It's the same type of high-powered weapon used by the shooter in Newtown, and at some other mass murders. The chief said he wanted to ensure that officers were adequately armed to confront criminals who use high-powered weapons.

Nashville is joining a trend that saw the Shelby County Sheriff's Office allow patrol deputies to carry the rifles in 2003 and the Memphis Police Department to begin arming officers on patrol with them in 2006.

Read more at the Commercial Appeal.