The ACLU would seem to be getting concerned about the increasing militarization of our police forces. I’m glad groups on the left are starting to notice what libertarian minded people have been worried about for years.
But personally, I’m OK with the police having cool toys to play with, as long as I can have the same toys myself to play with. If the military has all this surplus they want to get rid of, why not auction it off at bargain basement prices? Why should we reserve tanks to the 1%?
The sudden push on “gun control” and the militarization of police are incompatible.
First, the trends increase the imbalnce of force availble to citizens from where it already is.
Second, since police seem to think they need lots of weaponry to deal with threats, and I am my ONLY line of defense until and unless they arrive at wherever I have been confronted by a criminal (the same criminals they are arming up for), how can anyone tell me I disarm or reasonably should not have similar weapons available to me wherever I might meet with criminal action? Somebody is lying about something.
I wonder how much defense budget balancing could occur by selling surplus rifles (after semiauto conversion). Lots of other things are sold off, including once fired brass. Could even use the CMP as a distributor.