Another USA Gun Thread (special apperances by M16s, MRAPs & rocket launchers)

Harry Palmr · 18-09-2014 10:01AM #1

The creeping militarising of civil society continues apace in the land of the free.

School police departments across the US have taken advantage of free military surplus gear, stocking up on mine-resistant armoured vehicles, grenade launchers and scores of M16 rifles.

At least 26 school districts have participated in the Pentagon’s surplus program, which is not new but has come under scrutiny after police responded to protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, with teargas, armour-clad military trucks and riot gear.

The Los Angeles unified school district, the nation’s second-largest at 710 square miles with more than 900,000 students enrolled, said it would remove three grenade launchers it had acquired because they “are not essential life-saving items within the scope, duties and mission” of the district’s police force.

But the district would keep the 60 M16s and a military vehicle known as an MRAP used in Iraq and Afghanistan that was built to withstand mine blasts.

Law enforcement agencies around the country equipped themselves by turning to the Pentagon program, which the defence department has used to get rid of gear it no longer needs. Since the Columbine school shooting in 1999 school districts have increasingly participated.

Democratic congressman Adam Schiff said while there was a role for surplus equipment going to local police departments “it’s difficult to see what scenario would require a grenade launcher or a mine-resistant vehicle for a school police department”.

In Texas, Tina Veal-Gooch, executive director of public relations at Texarkana ISD, said the 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, led the district to acquire assault rifles and it had no plans to return them.

Full articles here http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/18/us-school-districts-given-free-machine-guns-and-grenade-launchers and

http://www.dailynews.com/government-and-politics/20140913/grenade-launchers-armored-vehicle-part-of-lausds-armory

Hard to get into the mid set of people who actually think armoured cars are part of policing/"protecting" children

Sunnyisland · 18-09-2014 10:06AM

Tis terrible,

Hope Scotland vote yes today.

GLaDOS · 18-09-2014 10:10AM

School police departments

As in police departments for individual schools? Is that a thing?

aaronjumper · 18-09-2014 10:13AM

ScienceNerd wrote: »

As in police departments for individual schools? Is that a thing?

No it's probably children tasked with maintaining law and order in their area. Teaches them about responsibility and hair triggers.

EDIT: Just took the time to read the articles. That is madness, why would they need mine resistant armoured vehicles?

frag420 · 18-09-2014 10:15AM

ScienceNerd wrote: »

As in police departments for individual schools? Is that a thing?

All we had was a knob of a headmaster who went around banging knuckles with a copper tipped boxwood ruler, no need for police patrols in our school with that c*nt!!

Maximus Alexander · 18-09-2014 10:16AM

But cannabis is illegal. Funny old world eh?

Akrasia · 18-09-2014 10:17AM

ScienceNerd wrote: »

As in police departments for individual schools? Is that a thing?

Astoundingly, there is such a thing as a LASPT (Los Angeles School Police Department) and they actually have feckin machine guns
http://www.laspd.com/

America is a parody of itself.

BoJack Horseman · 18-09-2014 10:17AM

aaronjumper wrote: »

No it's probably children tasked with maintaining law and order in their area. Teaches them about responsibility and hair triggers.

The "hall monitor" sash doesn't carry the weight it used to.
Time to gun-up!

Akrasia · 18-09-2014 10:22AM

I'm just imagining a Die hard style situation where some terrorist puts bombs in schools and the cops outside are fighting over 'juristiction' when John McClain flashes his school security badge, sticks an Uzi in his belt and goes huntin bad guys

aaronjumper · 18-09-2014 10:24AM

ScienceNerd wrote: »

As in police departments for individual schools? Is that a thing?

Looks like I was wrong and it is a thing. Apologies.
Just when you think things can't get any sillier, people in charge of protecting schools are getting military grade gear.

Skylinehead · 18-09-2014 10:26AM

the MRAP, parked off campus, was acquired because the district could not afford to buy armoured vehicles

That's one of the most ridiculous things I've ever read.

gandalf · 18-09-2014 10:28AM

Akrasia wrote: »

I'm just imagining a Die hard style situation where some terrorist puts bombs in schools and the cops outside are fighting over 'juristiction' when John McClain flashes his school security badge, sticks an Uzi in his belt and goes huntin bad guys

An Uzi, jaysus that's too lightweight. Sure he should be able to pick up a Mini-Gun at least from the Pentagon surplus program

Read a story the other day about a small towns sheriffs department getting an armoured car on this program and it had hardly any crime LOL

UCDVet · 18-09-2014 10:56AM

aaronjumper wrote: »

Looks like I was wrong and it is a thing. Apologies.
Just when you think things can't get any sillier, people in charge of protecting schools are getting military grade gear.

What do you do when a school shooter has military grade gear? Wait for him to run out of bullets and take a nap? Offer him milk and cookies?

HECK NO - you drive up in a tank and cap him.

Robbo · 18-09-2014 11:00AM

In before some Guns'n'Ammo reading sociopath explains at length how it's perfectly neccessary to hunt elk using a 14 megaton neutron bomb and that if he didn't keep polishing his Walmart bought Gauss Gun, the King of England would be annexing the **** out of his house.

shruikan2553 · 18-09-2014 11:02AM

I'm more confused about schools needing there own police district.

Can peoe really not see there's a slight problem with needing that?

Sonics2k · 18-09-2014 11:06AM

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

But cannabis is illegal. Funny old world eh?

And Kinder Eggs. Those vicious bastards.

Potatoeman · 18-09-2014 11:06AM

UCDVet wrote: »

What do you do when a school shooter has military grade gear? Wait for him to run out of bullets and take a nap? Offer him milk and cookies?

HECK NO - you drive up in a tank and cap him.

Unless they go on a rampage in the tank.

GLaDOS · 18-09-2014 11:11AM

UCDVet wrote: »

What do you do when a school shooter has military grade gear? Wait for him to run out of bullets and take a nap? Offer him milk and cookies?

HECK NO - you drive up in a tank and cap him.

But then they get anti tank missiles and you're back to square one

shruikan2553 · 18-09-2014 11:11AM

Potatoeman wrote: »

Unless they go on a rampage in the tank.

If we ban tanks what's to stop criminals having them?

gandalf · 18-09-2014 11:11AM

UCDVet wrote: »

What do you do when a school shooter has military grade gear? Wait for him to run out of bullets and take a nap? Offer him milk and cookies?

HECK NO - you drive up in a tank and cap him.

The problem is when you fight fire with fire everyone tends to get burnt. Especially true if everyone is armed with high velocity military grade firearms where bullets will pass through internal walls like a hot knife through butter.

Akrasia · 18-09-2014 01:04PM

gandalf wrote: »

The problem is when you fight fire with fire everyone tends to get burnt. Especially true if everyone is armed with high velocity military grade firearms where bullets will pass through internal walls like a hot knife through butter.

Well, from my experience of playing Battlefield Bad Company 2, when you've got someone holed up inside a building with guns and he won't come out. It's easiest to just get a tank and level the building.

gandalf · 18-09-2014 01:05PM

Akrasia wrote: »

Well, from my experience of playing Battlefield Bad Company 2, when you've got someone holed up inside a building with guns and he won't come out. It's easiest to just get a tank and level the building.

Hmmmm and if he is in a building full of hostages what then? Hellfire missile and chalk the hostages up to collateral damage

Gatling · 18-09-2014 01:08PM

gandalf wrote: »

Hmmmm and if he is in a building full of hostages what then? Hellfire missile and chalk the hostages up to collateral damage

Its the russian way

Kill everyone that way it makes taking hostages a futile exercise

Akrasia · 18-09-2014 01:13PM

gandalf wrote: »

Hmmmm and if he is in a building full of hostages what then? Hellfire missile and chalk the hostages up to collateral damage

Kill em all and let god decide.

The kids are probably all lost to Stockholm syndrome anyway

anncoates · 18-09-2014 01:17PM

I'm a conditional opponent of gun ownership as in I think gun control should be the norm for society but I'd love a big rifle to shoot burglars, door to door salesman, dogs in my garden etc.

SEPT 23 1989 · 18-09-2014 01:18PM

they are just keeping up with what the American Militia groups have stocked up in their ammo dumps waiting for their time to shine

renegademaster · 18-09-2014 01:23PM

Harry Palmr wrote: »

The creeping militarising of civil society continues apace in the land of the free.

Full articles here http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/18/us-school-districts-given-free-machine-guns-and-grenade-launchers and

http://www.dailynews.com/government-and-politics/20140913/grenade-launchers-armored-vehicle-part-of-lausds-armory

Hard to get into the mid set of people who actually think armoured cars are part of policing/"protecting" children

sure what could possibly go wrong, nothing to see here :pac:

CrazyRabbit · 18-09-2014 01:44PM

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

But cannabis is illegal. Funny old world eh?

Any US citizen can also legally buy explosives. No kidding.
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Tannerite-Explosive-Target-Practice-Bombs-FBI-208528981.html

gandalf · 18-09-2014 01:45PM

CrazyRabbit wrote: »

Any US citizen can also legally buy explosives. No kidding.
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Tannerite-Explosive-Target-Practice-Bombs-FBI-208528981.html

But if a burglar has a stick of dynamite I need one to defend my homestead against him

Wossack · 18-09-2014 01:58PM

gandalf wrote: »

But if a burglar has a stick of dynamite I need one to defend my homestead against him

and in a dynamite fight, the winner is the one who can throw the furthest - reckon they were mad to give up the grenade launchers :pac:

kylith · 18-09-2014 02:01PM

UCDVet wrote: »

What do you do when a school shooter has military grade gear? Wait for him to run out of bullets and take a nap? Offer him milk and cookies?

HECK NO - you drive up in a tank and cap him.

That's the problem, isn't it? Mentally unhinged students can get hold of semi automatic weapons, so the campus cops need to be able to take them out. How can Americans not see that this kind of thing will never end well?

Another USA Gun Thread (special apperances by M16s, MRAPs & rocket launchers)

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