Militarization of the Police

Those who sincerely want to get “weapons of war” off American streets should forget about sporting rifles like the AR-15. Instead focus on the increasing militarization of the police. As noted at Moonbattery.com sponsor Ammo.com,

Just as when “all you’ve got is a hammer, then everything looks like a nail” American police are becoming more willing to use their heavy-duty, military-grade hardware when carrying out law enforcement tasks. … Between 1998 and 2014, the dollar value of military hardware sent to police departments skyrocketed from $9.4 million to $796.8 million.

One alarming aspect of the militarization of the police is that extravagant weaponry is often funded by unconstitutional civil asset forfeiture.

Another is that it accelerates the transformation of the police from peace officers to law enforcement officers. The latter are more likely to robotically enforce the law even at the expense of community safety. When this gets out of control, it can lead to disasters like Waco, Ruby Ridge, and the building that was bombed by the police in Philadelphia in 1985.

Militarization of the police tends to diminish civil liberties. It increases government surveillance, excessive force, alienation of the police from those policed, lack of oversight, and the killing of dogs.

There were reasons for the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which strictly limits the use of the military for law enforcement. However, there are also reasons for militarizing the police. These include the well-armed organized crime resulting from Prohibition and the War on Drugs, and the terrorism associated with Islam and moonbattery (e.g., the Black Panthers, Weather Underground). Note that Big Government sometimes militarizes the police to address problems that are caused or exacerbated by Big Government.

Read the whole piece and stock up on ammo while you are there.

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