Something is rotten in the state of ... (PD's lose loads of military-issues weapons)

[scooter22]

How did America's police departments lose loads of military-issued weapons?

http://fusion.net/leadership/story/a...weapons-984250

"...184 state and local police departments have been suspended from the Pentagon's "1033 program" for missing weapons or failure to comply with other guidelines. We uncovered a pattern of missing M14 and M16 assault rifles across the country, as well as instances of missing .45-caliber pistols, shotguns and 2 cases of missing Humvee vehicles."

This is rather alarming in my opinion.

[C-grunt]

missing or stolen?

[HD1911]

Yet the lowly US Citizen Peasant shouldn't be trusted with Semi Automatic "Assault" Rifles.....

[J-Dub]

Yet the lowly US Citizen Peasant shouldn't be trusted with Semi Automatic "Assault" Rifles.....

Who's opinion is that? Would it be that of the Federal Government? The same folks handing out the weapons? The same folks that some are so proud to work for???? Is that who thinks "the lowly US citizen peasant shouldn't be trusted with semi automatic "assault" rifles"?????

And P.S. the sensationalist article link, doesn't even work.

[HD1911]

Who's opinion is that? Would it be that of the Federal Government? The same folks handing out the weapons? The same folks that some are so proud to work for???? Is that who thinks "the lowly US citizen peasant shouldn't be trusted with semi automatic "assault" rifles"?????

And P.S. the sensationalist article link, doesn't even work.

My Comment is Directed towards any and all of the Following (Individuals included, sometimes in Official Capacity or not...who have openly expressed said sentiment): The Executive Branch, The Legistaltive Branch, The Judicial Branch, All the 3 Letter Federal Agencies, the Military, All Levels of LE, The News Media, Groups such as Moms Demand Action, and any group that has any Power and/or Persuasion & Influence over the American People... that have expressed that Only LE Personnel should be able to own "Military Grade Weaponry" as if somehow having a Badge or an Official Mushroom Stamp of Approval somehow makes one Qualified in Possessing and Handling said Arms.

If you don't resemble my remark, then I am not talking about you.

[TriviaMonster]

How many Humvees in a case?

[scooter22]

Who's opinion is that? Would it be that of the Federal Government? The same folks handing out the weapons? The same folks that some are so proud to work for???? Is that who thinks "the lowly US citizen peasant shouldn't be trusted with semi automatic "assault" rifles"?????

And P.S. the sensationalist article link, doesn't even work.

It works for me, and it is very far from sensationalism...

[Denali]

And P.S. the sensationalist article link, doesn't even work.

Worked fine for me,

Haunting images of local police officials using military-issued equipment to quell protests in Ferguson, Missouri, have raised new concerns about the Pentagon's controversial program to equip local and state police departments with military surplus weaponry.

The program, now under White House review, has been plagued by messy bookkeeping, bureaucratic confusion and scores of missing weapons.

Fusion has learned that 184 state and local police departments have been suspended from the Pentagon's "1033 program" for missing weapons or failure to comply with other guidelines. We uncovered a pattern of missing M14 and M16 assault rifles across the country, as well as instances of missing .45-caliber pistols, shotguns and 2 cases of missing Humvee vehicles.

"[The program] is obviously very sloppy, and it's another reason that Congress needs to revisit this promptly," said Tim Lynch, director of the CATO Institute's project on criminal justice. "We don't know where these weapons are going, whether they are really lost, or whether there is corruption involved."

More troubling yet is the possibility that some of the missing weapons, which were given to local police departments as part of a decades' old government program to equip cops for the wars on terrorism and drugs, are actually being sold on the black market, Lynch said.

"That uncertainty is very unsettling," he told Fusion.

There is no necessity for LEO to have access to such weapons, its been a classic example of "stoking irrational public fears to create, then feed a need, that has never existed! Its so very simple, exactly how would such arms have made a bit of difference to what occurred on 9/11? Thats a great big goose egg, as in none! Ditto for the utterly ridiculous war on drugs, which has done nothing but mutate little LE agencies into private armies for a crop of the very worst freely elected political leaders in modern world history. I watched in absolute horror as the douche bags linked to that Ferguson PD committed felony after felony, aiming select fire weapons directly upon peaceful, congregating American citizens, without any provocation to have done so whatsoever!

I have superb instincts for such things, and mine are telling me that the arms race between American LE and its imagination is over! It has been completely inappropriate from the very beginning....I have no problem with the pistols, but the select fire weapons and military hardware, including drones need to be taken away from them, period!

[HD1911]

Link is up and working on my end.

How is it Sensationalism J-Dub? Please Explain.

It does actually worry the American People, when "Weapons of War", go missing, courtesy of Taxpayer Dollars.

So, We the People, pay for said Gear and Equipment, that we ourselves are not freely allowed to own (maybe in some instances, albeit with Caveats and Restricitions... the 2nd does say No Infrigement Correct?).... and then this stuff starts going missing, it does make one wonder just Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is going on.

Sorry, call me Cynical or what ever you'd like, but with the Federal Gov. spearheading this 1033 Program (remember: the same Gov. who gave the Cartel Automatic "weapons of war" and tried to make it look like it was gunshops and american citizens fault...the same Gov. who let 4 Americans be Slaughtered in Benghazi and then had it covered up and even lied to say it was an American Cartoonists Fault... the same Gov. who funded and equipped ISIS so that they could go on a Rampage and start Slaughtering tons of Innocent Men, Women, and Children... etc.), I am actually a little Concerned.

Addendum: this one Commenter of the Article has a clue.... "Actually when it come to weapons there is no normal for lost or missing. The acceptable number for unaccounted weapons is 0. Just ask any FFL when the BATF comes around to check. Certainly we can expect the police to meet the same standards as the private sector."

Rhetorical Question: Any clue what happens when gear goes missing from the Armory on the .Mil side of things?

[MorphCross]

Cato was the group bringing the issue up, I would have expected it to be the GAO, but considering the arms/equipment had been divested in the correct manner to the departments it isn't of any concern to the GAO. At least the Pentagon is taking a reactive approach by telling those departments "no more for you!"

Wouldn't you hate to be the managing officer of a prison motor-pool that lost a military Humvee?