Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said during an appearance on Monday that he opposed arming police forces with military surplus gear and weapons.
Paul’s comments came the same day that the White House announced it would prohibit the federal government from giving military-style equipment to police departments.
“I see no reason to have a 20-ton mine resistant ambush protection vehicle in the streets of any city in our country. I see no reason at all for that,” Paul said at a speech at the National Constitution Center. “I’m all for giving the police bullet proof vests, or giving the weapons —ordinary guns, things they can use to defend themselves— but I think it’s not a great idea to show up everywhere in a full military preference like an army. We wanted to separate and keep the army away from policing. They’re supposed to be different.”
In a speech on criminal justice reform earlier in the year, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) called for police forces to equip officers with body cameras but also to scale back unnecessary military surplus gear and weapons.
“Weapons of war have no place on the streets,” Clinton said in her speech.
Moves to demilitarize police forces come less than a full year after rioting in Ferguson, Missouri where the local police used armored vehicles and wore military camouflage as part of their strategy to crack down on the riots.
Sorry Paul, as usual President Obama is ahead of you on this one.
Yes, but it is a rare day that I can agree with Paul on anything, very rare indeed. However in this case, I agree with both men, weapons of war only belong on the battlefield. Also the mentality of war only belongs on the battlefield.
OMG , the children can’t play with their tanks .