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Demilitarization Begins? California Bill Blocks Police Getting Grenade Launchers, Tanks From Feds
Submitted by Cassius Methyl via TheAntiMedia.org,
A bill to stop the militarization of California police departments received final approval in the state legislature last Thursday. The bill is now on its way to the desk of Governor Jerry Brown.
A.B.36 establishes that California would “prohibit a local agency, other than a local law enforcement agency that is directly under the control of an elected officer, from applying to receive tactical surplus military equipment.”
It bans the transfer of “tracked armored vehicles, weaponized vehicles, firearms or ammunition greater than .50 caliber, grenade launchers, bayonets and camouflage uniforms.”
Introduced by Assemblywoman Nora Campos of San Jose, Assembly Bill 36 (A.B.36) — if enacted into law by the governor — will prevent the transfer of heavy duty weapons of war to local police departments.
Americans are increasingly concerned with the Pentagon’s now prevalent practice of arming local police departments with weapons of war, from grenade launchers to M-16 rifles and MRAP armored vehicles.
The bill specifically points out the dangers of police militarization, saying it would “declare that this is a matter of statewide concern.”
Most military equipment given to local police departments is transferred via the Pentagon’s surplus 1033 program. Through it, the Pentagon donates heavy military weaponry and equipment to local police departments, government agencies, and even school districts.
The program incited alarm when schools received grenade launchers and collections of M-16 rifles. Those in question included the Los Angeles Unified School District’s police and police at the University of Louisiana, Monroe.
The controversies surrounding weapons transfers like these have chipped away at support for the 1033 program.
“Those are weapons for war, they are not for policing communities,” said Ray Robertson, an associate professor of criminal justice at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette — in reference to the University of Louisiana’s stockpile of twelve M-16 rifles.
The transfer of military weapons to local police is considered by many to be reckless as the policy raises the risk for abuse of power. Assemblywoman Campos highlighted these concerns: “Due to recent events of police brutality, distrust between law enforcement and many of our communities remains at an all-time high,” she said. “Further exacerbating the issue is the recent militarization of law enforcement agencies and a movement away from community policing across the nation.”
The following examples from non-profit news organization The Marshall Project illustrate the scale of the weapons transfer program:
- “Police in Johnston, R.I., with a population less than 29,000, acquired two bomb disposal robots, 10 tactical trucks, 35 assault rifles, more than 100 infrared gun sights and two pairs of footwear designed to protect against explosive mines. The Johnson police department has 67 sworn officers.
- The parks division of Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources was given 20 M-16 rifles, while the fish and wildlife enforcement division obtained another 20 M-16s, plus eight M-14 rifles and ten .45-caliber automatic pistols.
- Campus police at the University of Louisiana, Monroe, received 12 M-16s to help protect the 8,811 students there (or perhaps to keep them in line).
- The warden service of Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife received a small aircraft, 96 night vision goggles, 67 gun sights and seven M-14 rifles.”
Is it a good sign that California lawmakers are concerned about the 1033 program? Why does the Pentagon want to arm these police departments and organizations so heavily in the first place?
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Hope this catches on!
Now how can one expect to properly run a modern police force without grenade launchers? I mean with kids and all smokin' weed down on the corner disrespecting authority and shit? There's gotta be a way to make them listen and I see grenade launchers as just one of the tools.
Grenade Launchers? In MY Los Angeles?!?! Heaven forbid anyone other than MS-13 gets them.
How many grenade launcher attacks have there been in the US in the past decade?
According to my modern American Value system, 0 attacks is too many, and should be responded to.
One of the purposes of the Iraq war was the "constabularization" of the military, turning it into a vehicle for controlling populations, as well as a training ground for those skills. One of the other purposes was the militarization of the police, because when these trained "occupiers" return home and join local PDs, they would of course want their familiar weapons and equipment.
= war on the US general public. No surprises.
Wanna know why there are so many SWAT raids, or why the police treat civilians like dirt, or why they are so quick to shoot and kill?
Yea why?
and in the rear view, this makes sense. Walking away from Iraq, what was that... so many questions. But really we know a chess move when we see it.
Yea why?
Because there are no other jobs for returning veterans, and that is no accident either.
That's true. It is probably the #1 job for returning able bodied vets. And with the state of the nation it is a growth industry
You said it
Demilitarizing the police? Ha Ha Ha! Fat chance, not happening. They may pay lip service, but you can be sure they will stockpile whatever they can get their hands on. Shielded I might add by complicit judges and prosecutors.
I fart in their general direction...
;-D
Militarization costs a lot of money. Those MRAPS need a lot of maintenance. The storm troopers need additional training and ammo for all of their wiz-bang weapon systems. Any cutback of this sort probably has more to do with budgetary concerns than the politicos being sincerely concerned about the safety of the peasantry. Ironically, the budgets of the security forces will probably be one of the first things cut as the current system continues its downward trend.
To me this seems like posturing and a drop in the bucket.
This is just cover for what is going on everyday. Until the ROE are modified to where cops go back to being peace officers nothing is changed.
So they cannot have > a 50 Cal? Big whoop.
Tracked vehicles? BFD.
The rules by which they assault us and the reasons why (civil forfeiture, crimes against the state) are the problem, and the symptom is cops acting like they do.
The tools by which they carry out their aggression are way down the list.
The just-us system is just as corrupt as the political one. It is not going to change from within.
pods
All very true. And BTW even with this law in place it wouldn't be hard to get around it; the Pentagon could 1033 weapons into "custodial storage" in lockers at the PDs or nearby, then give them the keys "for security and audit reasons". Heck, they'll store tracked vehicles at the local used car lot as a "marketing stunt" for all anyone would know about it. But someone will have the ignition codes.
If I could come up with that solution in under 10 seconds I'm pretty sure TPTB could do a lot better. Anyway you slice it, the cops want these weapons, the Pentagon wants them to have the weapons, and they are going to get the weapons. Grenade launchers, flame-throwers and all.
On balance though, when the ZHer foretold collapse arrives and the EBT will not buy much, Californians who pay taxes will want the police in scary tracked vehicles bristling with scary kit. I know most of my neighbors will not be able to help when and if Oakland comes over the hill.
An armed police force are thugs not pro military. They will run. Grab their families instigate a little looting in the neighborhood and head for the hills. The weapons are there to intimidate the locals. When TSHTF you won't see them anywhere. Heck a lot of police will probably become mercs working for the local strongman, who probably was a well-known drug king-pin who had connections. That's how this sort of thing goes down.
Why should only cops be allowed to have all the cool toys?
Cali is self-destructing right on schedule and what genius decided they needed shit like that in the first place?
How many cops killed someone's dog today who was just playing in their yard on private property?
As long as the cops have their steroids, free lunches and dinners, hookers and gold plated pensions then life is good.
We have a new one in my are who is really agressive. Shaved head and he looks like he's infused with steroids. I've not had even a speeding ticket since the 1990s, and I've had three encounters with him in as many months, which should tell you something. I shut him down hard once, but I'm not going to change my behavior because he wants to crawl up people's asses. I'll simply make sure he lacks qualified immunity if he pushes it too hard.
HOTDAMN!! now I know where to get that grenade launcher to go along with my flame thrower. Life is good...
I'd be a lot less miffed about cops having M16s if it wasn't illegal for me to own a post-1986 M16.
Every cop in the United States dressed in their ridiculous Banana Republic dress uniforms is GUILTY of violating their oath of office. None of them are legitimate. At best they are all guilty of aiding and abetting.
I'm waiting for them to come out with the Sam Browne belts, jack boots, and BIG HATS...
;-D
Edit: ...and futhermore, the terms honest and cop are mutually exclusive. Probable Cause Affidavits are studies in creative writing. I will note there that the greater part of the blame for cops bad behaviour is the defective culturally inbred justice system led by complicit judges and prosecutors. They are the "real" evil in justice. We of course can also send a big "Thank You" to our elected representatives for not tugging on the leash occasionally. Dogs are the ultimate pawn, isn't that right, Pooch,,,
Buy an SKS they take about 1 hour to make full auto.
If I did that, I would have to worry about ATF banging down my door with a bunch of M16s. If a cop buys a brand new M16, that cop doesn't have to worry about ATF banging down his door with a bunch of M16s.
Full auto is stupid. Spray and pray. The barrels will heat up too.
I do like those SKS Bullpup conversions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFCZyPw3Ing
There was a good video with a chick in a bikini doing the conversion to show how easy it is,
Get a Geisselle SD3G trigger for ~ 250 bucks.
300 rounds per minute takes a few days of practice but it works.
Those Super Dynamic 3 Gun triggers are the fucking SHIT!!
Way better than the M16 I carried.
Yeah - not to mention all that skateboarding they do on the sidewalks....
Yeah - not to mention all that skateboarding they do on the sidewalks....
The channel has been stuffed. The journey to federalization is complete.
WWMBD.......
what will moon beam do?
He'll hire a security team that is grenade-launcher equipped, while demanding an outright ban on kitchen knives.
I hope not.
At least the local Sheriff Departments will be able to get the weapons as they are elected officials.
Then we can repel invasion along the Southern Border at least.
And if we are not armed as heavily as other States, after the forthcoming balkanization, then we will not be able to fortify our Eastern Borders from invasion.
Fucking Liberal Gun Control Nuts occupy Sacramento and are traitors.
As long as I cannot own a brand new M-16 or grenade launcher, no cop should be allowed to own one either. While I question the idea of a police force all together, if we're going to have one, it should have a healthy respect for the potential consequences of stepping over the line. Being able to have more hardware, paid for by us, diminishes that respect.
".....or ammunition greater than .50 caliber"
Yeah, because we know that anything beyond .50 caliber is really, really inhumane.
That's not good for the MIC..................or the E CON omy
Holy shit.... what's next in this Lib utopia known as California?
A ban on flame throwers or clusterbombs too?
Fucking libs..... won't let Cops have any fun.
The liberals realized the cops might use those weapons against undocumented guests.
California doing something that makes some sort of sense? Now my world view is all fucked up. I need a shot.
Edit: I just read it again and my world view is back to normal after reading this line:
A.B.36 establishes that California would “prohibit a local agency, other than a local law enforcement agency that is directly under the control of an elected officer, from applying to receive tactical surplus military equipment.”
I'll still take that shot.
I know I'd would feel better knowing that the mayor has to authorize the use of nukes and so should you.
I think that's talking about elected sheriffs. They get the nukes, not the mayors.
We'll see if Moonbeam vetos.
Sheriffs are elected, dick, so thanks for nothing. All this does is make Sheriffs not have to compete with the other enforcers for DC's handouts. And now that the other enforcers are "disarmed" they have even more "good cause" to get even more stuff as they now have to bear the burden of continuous inter-agency calls for assistance.
A bill is not a law.
Chuck paid attention to schoolhouse rock!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82mG_RV1Fys
Police should be disarmed and rely on armed citizenry for help.
With a Sheriff up to the task, and cadre of deputized citizens, along with a promotion of repsonsible firearm ownership by the citizenry, there would be no need for 'police departments' in the first place...
Large police departments are simply a reflection of the 'Dependency' syndrome exhibited by the public.
When The Fed pulls the Easy Money, these guys are going to need a lot more firepower than this.
Jerry Brown dynasty son of crooked politician family just might sign it. The bill sounds pretty glaring and the population is pretty pissed at this time.
Too little, too late. They're already armed to near military levels. Plus, this is one state out of 50.
More stuff for the people to take from the cops when the time comes.
Just another head-fake...
"Hey, nobody needs a 30-round magazine now that the cops don't get grenade launchers! Hand it over, citizen."
Window dressing. Move along, nothing to see here.
MRAPs are not banned as they are not tracked vehicles. M-16s are not banned; they are fully auto assault weapons that are illegal for citizens to own unless manufactured before 1986. The phrase "other than a local law enforcement agency that is directly under the control of an elected officer" means sheriffs departments are not covered by this law; they can keep on stocking up on the good stuff like grenade launchers.
Thought the same thing...hey the government won't be able to provide them with snowmobiles or 30mm cannons now.
I'm not necessarily against militarization of the police as long as the people have the right o bear the same type of arms...how about we start getting bills like this introduced instead of banning the transfer of snowmobiles.
Have you ever watched cops use an MRAP when there is something that may actually get violent, like a possible riot? They'll cram the thing full of SWAT, then have another dozen or so SWAT officers hanging on the OUTSIDE of the vehicle. In SHTF, that's half of the SWAT team that is without the protection of the armor of the MRAP.
If the shit hits the fan, how many cops are going to show up for work? lol But then again, when things start to go sour nobody quite realizes it until after that first day.
I tell ya what, if a real "war on cops" ever happened, they'd sure as hell quit hanging off of the outside of their armored vehicles in a hurry. Either by choice, or by bullet.
After Katrina, a very predictable and relatively small scale natural disaster, lots of cops just walked away. That's exactly what will happen.
There will be a few nutters who'll play it like it's Iraq, but they'll be huge targets, as well.
What one will really need to worry about are the mercs. Still just "dumb animals", but several orders more deadly.
If you are facing off with SWAT teams Vs killing the family members of the Swatters, you’ve lost.
How would you feel about somebody that ignored you and killed your family? You'd hate their fucking guts, that's how. There are unintended consequences to what you propose that you won't like. You should look into Sun Tsu when he talks about having "way."
The SWAT Team sorta wants you dead from the get-go…. Even before his have met their fate.
SWAT teams like to come in in overwhelming force. They like it 30 or 40 to 1 when they can. Few, if any, have faced a reversal of the odds, because if it gets bad enough, they don't show up. Think about the Rodney King riots.
Yes...
The idea behind that tactic is to 'herd'. And a good percentage will herd like the dependent animals they are. The unknown is the number who won't, and that situation will take considerably more $tax dollars and equipment to address than what is currently available. Tax dollars that will in all probability, not be available for the obvious reasons. All good in my book --
More difficult to get squad points for the police.
How are modern police officers meant to do their job without a bayonet
A.B.36 establishes that California would “prohibit a local agency, other than a local law enforcement agency that is directly under the control of an elected officer, from applying to receive tactical surplus military equipment.”
Okay, so the local agencies can receive anything they want without having to apply?
Loophole! This is not an application, it is a wish list.
I think it is talking about sheriff's departments vs municipal departments. That would mean that LAPD falls under the restrictions, but a county sheriff's department wouldn't.
This is great news. Now any situation will be declared a state of emergency and the national guard will be called in because the local pd lacks the necessary equipment. Good times ahead.
notice too it says GREATER than .50 cal which means what? no 20mm? but, but how are all the poor, defenseless leos supposed to defend themselves against the "war on police"? do you seriously expect a BAR to take down a college stoner w/an iphone & waze? if I were a spouse I know I couldn't sleep unless I knew they had 30mm DU rounds to face down such a threat! time to turn the soon to be retired a10 fleet into leo drones! cause, you know - terrorists, pedos & such...
Now that was "Ouch... ". Well played.
Why not just stop the practice of having those rent-a-cops known as "city police" and their so called "departments"? There are alternatives to having an armed force at the disposal of the local political class.
The teacher's union can operate surplus M-1 tanks with no more than seven rounds, and SEIU can operate 155mm cannons as long as operators are paid overtime after 6PM.
No problem, pop smoke and call in air.
I read this earlier on shocked really...
Waiting for the right-wing populist know-nothings to turn in favor of police militarization because this bill was sponsored by a Democrat who is a Hispanic woman. 5...4...3...2........
Umm this was started under Clinton ....fool.
Once all citiizens are wearing explosive collars, really the problem takes care of itself.
Andy Mayberry with a grenade launcher and layered body armor. Opie with a 50 cal. .... That's entertainment.
Uhuh, and what about poor Barney Fife?
Good news. Ill take it. Investors are now turning to innovation now that they know financializaton and easy gravy subsidies are coming to a close. We're changing course. A shame as a species we reactive and learn more by pain than gain. The next few years are going to get real rugged. Take care of one another.
Put them to good use in Ook-land!
History of Law Enforcement in the United States
Veto in 3, 2, 1,.......
Just be careful what you wish for. If this catches on, plus with what we've seen already, I can easily see situations where the police will decide not to get involved where they are legitimately needed because the situation has been deemed too dangerous. Don't think for a moment that the Police unions won't push back and don't think your taxes will go down one cent.
They will be giving the weapons to the unarmed, undocumented immigrants (invasion force).
The NDP phoned me looking for my vote. They said the Cons and Libs are in favour of Bill C-51 which brands Canadians as terrorists if they don't follow police orders at a protest or even if the protestors impede any business they are standing in front of you are a terrorist.
Well, that is good news if you take it at face value. Problem is, I don't take anything at face value anymore.
Isn't the police force of every city under the control of an elected officials? Cities will say either an elected mayor or an elected council controls the police force. Also, the sheriff of every California county is elected.
I love the po.
What? No Apaches and 155 mm artillery for the suburbs?
What if an alien invasion occurs?
I don't think the enemy is going to voluntarily lay down their arms. Especially the LA SWAT, America's Original Team.
The US MIC keeps churning out weapon after weapon and badly needs to sell all that useless junk.
What do you want them to do with it, sell the weapons to City Councils as contemporary art? Pile them up on the roads as signposts? Wrap them up as burritos in front of Chipotles for advertising purposes?
What can they do but militarize everyone and their dogs on taxpayers money?
1. No mention of 'wacko' Californian's, or some thoughtful remarks regarding 'Liberals of California'.
2. Again, you have the 'cabal' backed into a corner, and they are very afraid, hence the military arms going to police departments.
3. All the current 'space exploration' being done by several 'space agency's' are nothing more than real estate hunting for the 'cabal' being so desperate to escape when:
a. Either something big shows up in the sky or something big hits the planet.
b. Financial slavery ends, and Spiritual slavery ends.
c. C.E.R.N. opens a Portal, as 'they' proclaim they currently attempting, and either something comes through
or they send something through.
4. Think about it.
What's California going to do when the Zombie Apoclypse hits? Don't these people watch Fear the Walking Dead?
DE-militarization? Not a effing chance. They will break the bank in every single police district in the country before "demilitarizing" any serious extent.