Local Law Enforcement Using Military Equipment Questioned

[Bear44]

to be fair, you started it with

I fully intended to get into it. They were the ones that made the statement that it was debatable, but didn't want to "get into it".

 

[Vdub5818]

There is just so little logic in this post I won't even respond.

I dont follow. What is it that you disagree with?? Sounds pretty logical to me. A MIL/LEO is no different from any law abiding citizen. He should have no more or less rights than any of us. They are not special people forged out of unobtanium. They are men and women with a badge and a job. So you are gonna have bad and good apples. Dont believe it? Go watch the 3 hour vid on youtube which showcases policy brutality from 2012 alone. But as noted in my previous post they arent all good or bad. Many are the finest people there is, some are the scum of the earth. But when it comes down to it, they are citizens just like you and me.

Or are you trying to say that LEO's should be storming buildings with their AR's. Or that we should not be able to own ar's?

Do tell....

 

[metaltrader]

The line is not getting blurred at all. The missions are very different. All that is happening is that LE is getting well enough armed to deal with a higher level of violence and capability that criminals are developing. Do you really want LE to be under gunned? All you have to do to see the results of that is look at what is going on along the Mexican boarder. I don't want LE to get into a war with criminals. I want LE to be able to quickly end them if criminals try to start one.

I wonder how many of the criminals that have been involved in the violence in Mexico are now operating in Georgia.

No sir, I do not want LE to be under gunned. I also don't think that they need tanks. That, in my mind, is the blur that I referred to. I'm glad that we agree that the missions of the military and local law enforcement are very different. I fully support and respect the men and women of law enforcement as their job is thankless, difficult and poorly compensated, much like that of our military.

 

[jmullinix]

I have a thought.

When we go over the fiscal cliff or balance the budget, either one, there will be severe cuts in social programs. Not just medicare and Social Security, but Section 8, food stamps, EBT, and other programs like these. We cannot balance the budget without severe cuts in social programs. Once that money dries up, there will probably be social unrest and maybe even riots in our cities.

Could it be that the government is preparing for this???

 

[spencer60]

To be fair, that pic really is just an SUV with some extra plating... nothing you as an average citizen couldn't whip up perfectly legally in your garage.

Just because it looks military, doesn't make it so. After all, that's what we're fighting the gun control industry about right now isn't it?

There is a line that is constantly being drawn between how 'military' the police should be. Post 9/11 that line has shifted to the point where (supposedly) the NYPD has surface-to-air missiles at their disposal. To me that's probably too far, but you can certainly debate it.

Certainly protective vehicles and gear, select-fire firearms, etc. all fit well within the scope of police activities. However I don't think that they should be limited to police only.

If police are allowed a certain type of equipment, there is no reason that non-LE citizens should be denied that same piece of equipment. After all, police are simply regular citizens that we authorize to act on our behalf by granting them 'police powers'.

They are citizens who have accepted extra duties, extra responsibilities and restrictions on their behavior, but that does not mean they have constitutional rights that are any different than other citizens.

A police officers ability to have any type of weapon is based on their Second Amendment rights as a citizen, not on their additional duties as a police officer.

 

[Vdub5818]

Very possible man. Think about it like this... half of the country was PISSED from 03-08, the other have been pissed since 08. Unemployment has become major issue and those who are employed are 90% certain to be underemployed and underpayed. People have been losing their homes for years now and it doesnt appear to be getting any better. Now they want to come after our most viable form of defense. In reality, its a miracle we havent seen riots like toronto and london here recently.

You tell me what all signs point to??

 

[Vdub5818]

If police are allowed a certain type of equipment, there is no reason that non-LE citizens should be denied that same piece of equipment. After all, police are simply regular citizens that we authorize to act on our behalf by granting them 'police powers'.

They are citizens who have accepted extra duties, extra responsibilities and restrictions on their behavior, but that does not mean they have constitutional rights that are any different than other citizens.

A police officers ability to have any type of weapon is based on their Second Amendment rights as a citizen, not on their additional duties as a police officer.

Exactly what I was saying.

 

[metaltrader]

To be fair, that pic really is just an SUV with some extra plating... nothing you as an average citizen couldn't whip up perfectly legally in your garage.

Just because it looks military, doesn't make it so. After all, that's what we're fighting the gun control industry about right now isn't it?

There is a line that is constantly being drawn between how 'military' the police should be. Post 9/11 that line has shifted to the point where (supposedly) the NYPD has surface-to-air missiles at their disposal. To me that's probably too far, but you can certainly debate it.

Certainly protective vehicles and gear, select-fire firearms, etc. all fit well within the scope of police activities. However I don't think that they should be limited to police only.

If police are allowed a certain type of equipment, there is no reason that non-LE citizens should be denied that same piece of equipment. After all, police are simply regular citizens that we authorize to act on our behalf by granting them 'police powers'.

They are citizens who have accepted extra duties, extra responsibilities and restrictions on their behavior, but that does not mean they have constitutional rights that are any different than other citizens.

A police officers ability to have any type of weapon is based on their Second Amendment rights as a citizen, not on their additional duties as a police officer.

Well said, Sir. Well said.

 

[Bear44]

I dont follow. What is it that you disagree with?? Sounds pretty logical to me. A MIL/LEO is no different from any law abiding citizen. He should have no more or less rights than any of us. They are not special people forged out of unobtanium. They are men and women with a badge and a job. So you are gonna have bad and good apples. Dont believe it? Go watch the 3 hour vid on youtube which showcases policy brutality from 2012 alone. But as noted in my previous post they arent all good or bad. Many are the finest people there is, some are the scum of the earth. But when it comes down to it, they are citizens just like you and me.

Or are you trying to say that LEO's should be storming buildings with their AR's. Or that we should not be able to own ar's?

Do tell....

So you think that LE, even though their JOB is to take on the criminal element should not be better armed than an average citizen? The nature of the job they do DOES make them different.
So you found a three hour video that shows bad actors. What about the hundreds of thousands of hours that LE spends doing a hard and dangerous job right?
As for LE storming buildings with ARs; When it's called for I think they should be able to drive right through the building in an APC.

BTW, I don't think there is anything listed in the OP article that a civilian can not own.

 

[Bear44]

No sir, I do not want LE to be under gunned. I also don't think that they need tanks. That, in my mind, is the blur that I referred to. I'm glad that we agree that the missions of the military and local law enforcement are very different. I fully support and respect the men and women of law enforcement as their job is thankless, difficult and poorly compensated, much like that of our military.

LOL! What tanks? Nobody said anything about tanks.