Almost half of Metropolitan Police officers believe there should be more specialist firearms officers, according to a staff survey.
However, the poll of almost 11,000 officers indicates that there is little support across the force's ranks for routinely carrying guns while on duty.
Most police personnel in the UK are unarmed but the question of whether officers should carry guns as a matter of course has come under scrutiny again after recent terrorist attacks in Europe.
Last year, Scotland Yard announced plans to increase the number of firearms officers on hand to protect the capital by 600 in the wake of the Paris attacks in November 2015.
According to the Met Police Federation's questionnaire, only 6% of those polled believe there is currently an "adequate" quantity of gun-carrying officers in London.
Almost half of respondents (43.6%) think there should be more specialist firearms officers in the Met, but not all officers should be routinely armed.
One in four (26%) said they believe all police officers should be routinely armed, while 12% said they would not carry a firearm on duty under any circumstances.
The poll also revealed three in four respondents (75%) believe all officers should be issued with the stun guns while on duty.
Met Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh said: "We live in dangerous and unpredictable times.
"It is more important than ever that Metropolitan Police officers have the right equipment to keep themselves, their colleagues and the public safe.
"And also that we have the right number of officers with that equipment available when they are required."
He added: "We often hear people talk about what police officers want and we can now say with some certainty that our members feel that more Met Police Officers should be carrying a Taser on London streets.
"We can also say that we know their views on the prospect of being armed."
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