Why aren't officers' guns publicly funded?

[JesmanVA]

Big debate in Wisconsin. This is ridiculous:

eeekonomy.com/discussion/Should-Officers-Pay-for-the-Bang-with-their-Bucks-/70

[kellster102292]

What side are you on?

I think that the police station should provide the pistols and other guns to the police force. Then yes supplied by the public funds(tax's). The guns would be easier to keep track of, by serial numbers and such.

[blake 3:17]

Horrible.

[Uncle Ho]

Officers should have no guns.

Any society where the law enforcement has an advantage of force over the general populace is a fundamentally broken one.

[Outinleftfield]

Officers should have no guns.

Any society where the law enforcement has an advantage of force over the general populace is a fundamentally broken one.

I'm inclined to agree, but on the other hand in America ordinary people are allowed to own guns too. As long as that's the case I think the police should be allowed to buy their own guns the way ordinary citizens are.

Normally Id support public funding of a public good but there are many ways that this is not a public "good" if you consider all the incidents of police brutality. We shouldn't forget the police are in service to the state and therefore capitalism. Anything that helps them use violence easier is not good for socialism.

[RadioRaheem84]

True, but this is a case of ideological orthodoxy vs reality. In reality, the capitalist system has created a slew of gangs and criminals that are not only dangerous but downright frightening in comparison to the class of criminals of yesteryear. I want the police to own guns in this case. The criminal gangs survive off their own variant of capitalism (a very unregulated variant) and prey on the working class for support through intimidation. Sometimes all the people can do is call in the state to do something about it and I would want the officer to armed.

[dez]

True, but this is a case of ideological orthodoxy vs reality. In reality, the capitalist system has created a slew of gangs and criminals that are not only dangerous but downright frightening in comparison to the class of criminals of yesteryear. I want the police to own guns in this case. The criminal gangs survive off their own variant of capitalism (a very unregulated variant) and prey on the working class for support through intimidation. Sometimes all the people can do is call in the state to do something about it and I would want the officer to armed.

Technically the police is merely a bigger, meaner and more organized gang.
They exist to enforce the laws of the capitalist state, which essentially exists to oppress the working class...

[pierrotlefou]

Technically the police is merely a bigger, meaner and more organized gang.
They exist to enforce the laws of the capitalist state, which essentially exists to oppress the working class...
true but this isn't about the working class vs the capitalist. It's about the capitalists fighting a monster they created and since this monster attacks us as well, its a threat against everyone and they can't be unarmed when their enemy is armed.

[RadioRaheem84]

Exactly. We need the help of law enforcement to protect us from the urban tribalism that's sprung up as a result of capitalism.

[blake 3:17]

Follow the OP. The link is here: http://www.eeekonomy.com/discussion/Should-Officers-Pay-for-the-Bang-with-their-Bucks-/70

This is completely insane.