this happened in 1997
The assault weapons ban was also in place at the time as well. Because of this shooting, every patrol car gets at least one AR15 just in case something like this were to happen.
back then we didn't have people constantly shooting up stuff
i wonder what changed
back then we didn't televise stuff about people shooting stuff up
There's always been crime, but since the news likes to sensationalize everything and make stuff more entertaining than factual you end up with these people who want 5 minutes of infamy and they get to let off whatever is driving them to shoot stuff up.
so this is the flashpoint for police militarization, huh
Wacco, 9/11, the war on Terror, and boston marathon bombing can also be thanked for that. Because in the past acts of terror can happen anywhere and everywhere, the federal government gives out grants to police departments to go buy fancy stuff. So now some rural town with a population of 500 can have their very own swat team with the latest equipment. Plus lets face it, we like gimmicks and stuff, stuff that looks cool, kind of like when you are kid and you walk into a bigass toy store. Many departments could get by without this stuff, but others might actually need this stuff.
You aren't always go to need this stuff, but should the need for it to be used it's there for you.
