Shot with our own gun...

 

 

"This time I was the citizen, and they were pointing their guns at me..."

Readjustment Blues

John Denver

When you take gun safety classes, it is stressed how important proper the safeguarding and usage of your weapon is. In particular, it is important that you don't get shot with your own gun. Today, on a much larger scale, that is exactly what is happening with some of our weapons of war. Many of these weapons are not "old junk" - some is fairly new and in good condition. Some of it is now aimed at the citizens of this country.

Two news stories this week will help make my point:

• Domestic - Many have posted pictures on the internet of light and heavy armored vehicles being shipped to police forces or DHS around the country. When I first saw them, I thought the pics went through some kind of photo shop process. It was too incredible to be true. Then the Ferguson riots happened this week. The local police showed up looking like the First Cavalry ready for battle.
• The purpose of the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 was to limit the use of the Federal Government, in particular the military, to enforce state laws. In my humble opinion, when you have local police using military type weaponry, ranging from tanks to snipers, it comes close to being a violation of that law.
• Foreign - People should either lose their jobs or face jail time on this one. When we pulled out of Iraq, we left so much stuff, so many heavy as well as light arms, it could outfit an army. And that is exactly what it is doing. ISIS, whose numbers now exceed 10,000, have so much of our stuff, they are advertising on the internet for mechanics to help maintain it. This is a travesty. These thugs are using our weapons to kill innocent people. Besides the extraordinary cost of this equipment (thank you taxpayers and debt), many of these weapons are the most lethal on the market.

We need to first get out military supplies back from the local police departments and either transfer them to the National Guard or put them in surplus. That is, unless there is something else the government knows which we do not. In that event, a strong case needs to be made why our local police need to be better armed than many countries are.

Next, we need to either recapture or destroy all weapons left in Iraq. We simply cannot allow this to happen. If we are not careful, the same thing will happen in Afghanistan when we pull out. We either need iron clad safeguards, or we take everything with us. Being shot is one thing - being shot with your own gun is even worse.