“At one time not long ago in our society - such a man advancing on cops was taken down without having to emptying a gun into him.”
Excuse me, BS.
The pistol has always been the appropriate response to a knife attack.
If I have a gun, and you have a knife, and I pull up in a vehicle to "confront" you, I'll put the vehicle between you and me, not jump out and "hold my ground".
If you want to come around the vehicle with your knife, THEN I'll shoot you.
The "Pretend Sojer Code" prevents the police from using their heads and backing up in a situation like this.
It's interesting to watch the body language of the backup police when dealing with the onlooking peasantry.