I mentioned in another thread that in addition to all the other issues implicated in police killings, having a heavily and indiscriminately armed civilian population makes demilitarizing policing much harder. Virtually anyone can have a firearm and tons of people do.
2/ But this raises another issue in America's culture and politics of gun ownership, one that has evolved largely in tandem with what we might call the hyper-militarization of policing over the last two or three decades. One of the major supporters of gun restrictions ...
3/ used to be police organizations and police unions. This is hardly surprising. Police want superior firepower and a decisive advantage in armed confrontations. This is obvious whether you have a benign or malign view of police. Over the last couple decades though you've ...
4/ seen this change. The cult of private gun ownership has become sufficiently powerful within the law enforcement community that it has largely overwhelmed the common sense interest police have in facing as little firepower on the streets as possible.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
