The trend toward equipping local police departments with battlefield armory under the guise of protecting us from terror is so widely accepted that no one asks anymore: Will that tank in my community really save me?
Back in August of 2013, here’s how News Channel News reported the arrival of a armored vehicle in Gallatin, Tenn.:
It could have been a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, but now a 21-ton Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, or MRAP, is on the streets of Gallatin. “It’s like waking up on Christmas morning and having the best present you ever had,” said Asst. Chief William Sorrells.
Only these aren’t Christmas gifts and they are not shielding us from terror attacks; they are toys in the hands of many who are eager to haul them out at the most minimal sign of danger.
This “arming” movement does nothing to thwart the real threat of rogue aggressors, who are easily capable of slipping by these ridiculous fortresses only to launch a full-scale battlefield-like response after the damage is done, and freeze entire communities in fear in the process.
Look no further for proof of this reasoning than the security breach incident at this year’s Super Bowl. Following the game, while players and coaches were commenting on the Seattle Seahawks victory over the Denver Broncos, this happened:
An intruder bolted up to the stage and grabbed the microphone while the game’s MVP Malcolm Smith of the Seahawks was conducting a postgame press conference.
The New York Daily News reported:
The man, wearing a plaid jacket, was hustled out of the room by security. It was not immediately clear how he made it past unprecedented security measures that included snipers posted throughout the stadium.
Not immediately clear how he bypassed security!
What is clear is that the extreme arming of our local police departments is doing far more harm to innocent citizens than it is saving lives from terrorist attacks. We are paying the price each and every day for arming too many trigger-happy, Rambo-crazed delusionalists who wear badges and can, on a dime, fire away.