General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Massachusetts SWAT teams claim they’re private corporations, immune from open records laws [View all]Savannahmann
(3,891 posts)If they are a private organization, then how do they get around the Federal Law that requires class 3 Federal License for anyone who owns a fully automatic weapon? Police Officers are exempted from the requirement, but if the Police Officers are doing so for a private organization, then we have a violation of the spirit, if not the letter of the law. Certainly an examination of Federal Grants to Law Enforcement in Massachusetts is warranted. Because if grants and programs targeted to state, county, and local police is instead going to a private organization this is at a minimum misappropriation of funds.
So should we ask the President to announce that the Justice Department is reviewing all Law Enforcement grants and programs from the Federal Government to see if the "private" organization is violating the law? The Rethugs would get on board defending federal funding for private swat teams, they love the things, and it could help us win in November to have the Rethugs on the record as supporting private groups with fully automatic weapons and zero oversight.