Try the political quiz

10.4k Replies

 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...3yrs3Y

No

 @9GKFN65  from California agreed…5mos5MO

Top Agreement

Giving the police more weapons and tools to enact violence against civilians will just further encourage them to abuse their power. If the government wants to tackle crime, they should make a better social safety net that actually meets the standards of other developed nations and pass policies to decrease poverty. Basically target the root causes of crime, over policing has shown to not to lower crime rates.

 @9GKJHQL from New York disagreed…5mos5MO

I agree that some cops abuse their power but they should have acess to weapons and gear that can save their lives when dealing with criminals who also have weapons trying to kill the police.

 @9GKL8JQ from Kentucky disagreed…5mos5MO

The police defend the people within the U.S and fight the good fight, If they need military-Grade weaponry to protect citizens, have at it, our safety should be held at high standards to ensure our protection.

 @9JZSB4HDemocrat from Texas commented…1mo1MO

So if police sometime in the future pick sides and your side is not the one they pick. And they start rounding you up and you resist and they use those military grade weapons on you. Is that OK ? Don't say it couldn't happen. Look at the country now...

 @9GKPX7G from Texas disagreed…5mos5MO

No they should have access to more weapons due to the higher level crimes being committed if citizens can have access to many weapons then why cant they. They are just as able to have the same guns as citizens if not have higher powerful weapons since the training they go through is more advanced.

 @9GKHWTZWomen’s Equality from Maine disagreed…5mos5MO

no nessarly due to citizens getting more stronger weapons then the officers themsleves they have to resort to stronger measures just to make sure that our community is safe if we didnt make our community as unsafe as it is now officers wouldnt need to up on stronger weapons but because us as citizens have a probem with trying to be stronger then the government then the police have to work twice as hard and have twicw as strong weapons just to keep people safe.

 @9GTDNXR  from Connecticut agreed…5mos5MO

One party in a conflict being ready, trained, prepared, armed, and itching for battle is more likely to result in a battle, pretty obviously.

 @9GTFTBM from Wisconsin agreed…5mos5MO

They are being trained to protect the people and uphold the law. A couple of bad police don't mean all or even the majority of police are bad.

 @9GTG8Y6 from New Jersey disagreed…5mos5MO

I want the police to be prepared if people are in danger so they can eliminate the threat as quickly as possible.

 @9FLS3RX  from California agreed…6mos6MO

If you were able to demilitarize the police who would protect you in your community and who’s from stopping from bad people to do whatever they want and whenever they want.

 @9FM9PYF from California disagreed…6mos6MO

There is no real counter argument to this, take away the power of the enforcers of the law and this country will burn

 @9GN44SRGreenfrom Guam agreed…5mos5MO

The police don't need military grade equipment to deal with the vast majority of crimes and having more people with access to military equipment will lead to bigger and worse conflicts breaking out such as if police get stolen from or if police are corrupt.

 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...3yrs3Y

Yes

 @9FF896N from Massachusetts disagreed…6mos6MO

If we give the police military grade equipment then they will cause more harm than they will protection.

 @LoyalVenisonAmerican Solidarity from North Carolina disagreed…6mos6MO

I see where you're coming from, but let's flip the pancake here. Imagine you're a cop responding to an active shooter situation. You've got your standard equipment, maybe a pistol and a taser. Meanwhile, the bad guy's got military-grade gear. It's like bringing a slingshot to a bazooka party, not the best odds, huh? Now, I'm not saying we start handing out tanks at the precinct, but some advanced protective gear wouldn't be a bad idea.

What's your take on that scenario? Any alternative solutions to level the playing field without escalating things too much?

 @9FBV37V from Illinois disagreed…7mos7MO

The reason I say no to letting police departments be allowed to use military-grade equipment is that, I disagree with what the police do with the power they hold and how they think of themself with that power in their hands. They use most of their power over people to start and cause a problem for locals and people of other races and don't care for what others think of what they're doing nor do they care how they are seen in others' eyes, the police always think they're doing the right thing in stop "criminals", but what they are really doing is stopping people who look suspect in their eyes and do as they please because they have authority or them.

 @9F9PTM6 from Texas agreed…7mos7MO

The people who have made cops look bad in the past have dealt with their consequences and they have been removed but that doesn’t make all cops bad. So we shouldn’t be treating all of the cops bad just because of the few who make them seem like bad.

 @9F8HTX5 from Texas agreed…7mos7MO

Police need to be equipped and trained with military hardware to be effective and to deter criminals. Crime is not being punished and we have rampant crime across the country. Drugs from cartels, sex trafficking and even motorcycle gangs are better equipped then our law enforcement.

 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...3yrs3Y

No, extreme situations should be handled by higher agencies with specialized training and equipment

 @9FVB44L from Colorado agreed…6mos6MO

The police are a majorly local organization, this means that these different groups are designed to deal with smaller, less severe, local problems. With this in mind, asking the police to deal with these extreme situations on their own would not be reasonable or safe. These officers are then given military grade equipment in order to deal with these problems although they may've (most likely) never had used the equipment bestowed upon them, this leads to many situations not being able to be safely concluded. Higher agencies with more specialized training and equipment to better deal with these severe problems in a way that uses the training that they have received, compared to the police without this particular training.

 @9GV4ZC3Socialist from Pennsylvania agreed…5mos5MO

The police are supposed to deal with local/state issues. If something is so problematic it needs more force, then a higher agency should be equipped.

 @9GS56K8 from Texas agreed…5mos5MO

The police are needed to provide safety for the community and keep crime rates low, so when you ask a 40-year-old police officer, for example, to try and disarm a potential terrorist with a bomb strapped to his chest the odds of that situation ending in a positive result is way less than if you were to send a trained specialist with te right training and equipment for that exact scenario.

 @9GJSNGR from Georgia agreed…5mos5MO

The police are locally managed. As such they have little accountability to the wider public since only the people in the immediate vicinity can vote concerning them. Therefore, they should not be given access to federal military equipment. This should be left to people who are regulated by the federal government.

 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...3yrs3Y

Yes, but with strict training on how and when to use the equipment

 @9FLS3RX  from California disagreed…6mos6MO

Top Disagreement

The police need more training if they ever come to a situation where they freeze and have no idea what to do and not instantly just reach for their gun but instead to take a minute and really think things through.

 @9FM9SW8 from Washington agreed…6mos6MO

They need to take some form of u conscious bias training and further their firearm handling training as well as vetting process to be a police officer

 @9GXBMVM  from Nevada disagreed…5mos5MO

Police should not be equipped with military graded weapons, if there is a situation that requires higher grade weapons or equipment then teams with higher training such as SWAT should be brought in.

 @9GXDJG9Libertarian from Georgia disagreed…5mos5MO

There are certain situations where police are oftentimes the first on the scene and waiting for SWAT or other tactical units may waste precious time and lives.

 @9FZQ5V7Democrat  from Alaska disagreed…6mos6MO

Police should not be equipped with military graded weapons, if there is a situation that requires higher grade weapons or equipment then teams with higher training such as SWAT should be brought in.

 @9FZS9XX from Illinois agreed…6mos6MO

Swat is still the police, I don’t think the police or military should exist because they exist to perpetuate institutions of oppressions or imperialism

 @9FZS7WWRepublican from Florida agreed…6mos6MO

Police should be demilitarize because if there is a situation in a town or city where the police can't handle that situation, the military and/or Swapt team should be call in.

 @9FZS8LG from Pennsylvania disagreed…6mos6MO

Police should be equipped with military-grade weapons in case they are necessary for a dispute, but the person equipped with the weapon must be well-trained and educated on the weapon and its uses.

 @9FP53DFWorkers  from California disagreed…6mos6MO

The police need more training so they are not left to their own devices if they aren't prepared to deal with the people they are trying to control.

 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...3yrs3Y

Yes, but only in response to extreme situations

 @9G3PBHW  from Utah disagreed…6mos6MO

This is already the case; police are trained to only use military equipment in extreme situations. That doesn't prevent any deaths.

 @9G3R7TM from Florida agreed…6mos6MO

Police shouldn't have access to military equipment at all. And the perspective on what counts as an extreme situation is one sided apparently given how many times it's been used in non extreme situations.

 @9G3R4DZ from New York agreed…6mos6MO

Police should not use military equipment, who gets to decide what an emergency is, and how can you possibly say this one prevent deaths every single person who has ever died from police intervention could’ve been prevented

 @9GG4G4Z from Texas disagreed…5mos5MO

In the case of an extreme event i would rather have trained soldiers or reserve/ guard members who actually go through months of proper training not weeks.

 @9GRFKWX from Minnesota disagreed…5mos5MO

I think the police should not have access to any military weapons unless it is a VERY extreme situation

 @9GJZFWK from New York disagreed…5mos5MO

The police need to conduct themselves and behave as peace keepers first. They are not an occupying force, nor are they an offensive force. If a situation is grave enough to require that level of interaction then we need to rethink who handles what. States have the national guard, let us rethink how they are used or determine some other more logical course of action. Police already wear too many hats and missions get jumbled as a result. Let's demilitarize the community police and work on solutions that make sense.

 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...3yrs3Y

No, and abolish the police

 @9F72YSY  from California disagreed…7mos7MO

Top Disagreement

Without Police, we won't have any protections. All of the stuff you are scared of, drug dealer, murderers, rapist are all handled by the Police and abolishing them would be abolishing all of those protections.

 @J0intResolutionRuffsGreen from Minnesota disagreed…7mos7MO

While it's true that police play a crucial role in maintaining law and order, the call to abolish police often refers to drastically reimagining our current policing system, not eliminating law enforcement altogether. For example, in some communities, there's been a shift towards community-led safety initiatives, which focus on preventative measures rather than punitive ones. These initiatives often involve social workers, mental health professionals, and community activists. This isn't to say such a drastic change would be easy or without challenges, but it does provide a different perspective on public safety. What are your thoughts on this approach?

 @9F8ZC2J from California disagreed…7mos7MO

Whose the first person you call when someone breaks into your house? Who would be the first people to show up with guns drawn ready to protect you and your family?

 @9F9PTM6 from Texas disagreed…7mos7MO

The police should not be abolished because they are doing their jobs. What we can do instead is fund the police academy so they can receive proper training.

 @9FN6C2Tfrom Maine disagreed…6mos6MO

The Police are a fundamental part of a civilised society, whose role is to protect the public from criminality, they are a necessity. Any proposition to abolish the police is nothing but foolishness, created from the criminality of a small minority of officers.

 @Biblical89American Solidarity from California answered…3yrs3Y

Yes, but only in response to extreme situations and with strict training on how and when to use the equipment

 @7LPHL2F from Illinois answered…3yrs3Y

Yes, but only in response to extreme situations with strict training on how and when to use the equipment.

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