Staff Reports
Gun control laws are often touted as a means to keep the public safe, but a closer inspection reveals a curious double standard—especially when it comes to cops. While these laws aim to restrict the firearm rights of ordinary citizens, they often lavish exemptions on law enforcement. It raises an eyebrow, especially since those who are so quick to paint cops as the enemy are simultaneously fine with them wielding weapons far more dangerous than what a responsible civilian could own.
Take the quaint little town of Adair, Iowa, where the three-man police department had a rather unusual request: to purchase 90 machine guns, including a minigun capable of firing 6,000 rounds per minute. This absurdity is enough to make anyone stop and think. Just imagine the sort of paper-pushing bureaucrats approving this kind of arsenal—it’s a scene that could only be matched in a bad action movie. One has to wonder if the fine folks of Adair had secretly been gearing up to fend off an entire army or simply wanted to open their own theme park entitled “Miniguns for Minutemen.”
To add to the comedic value, we have Police Chief Bradley Wendt, who took advantage of these exemption loopholes not for the local good, but to secretly line his own pockets. After federal agents caught onto his weapon-selling shenanigans, he found himself on a jury’s bad side, convicted of conspiracy and a laundry list of offenses. Wendt’s claim to fame? He believed that if he was guilty, then every cop in the nation might as well be too. That’s quite the claim, especially coming from someone whose job description pretty much includes enforcing the laws.
The problem doesn’t stop with Wendt; investigations revealed a wider epidemic of police officers peddling their arsenal to anyone willing to cough up a few bucks—often at marked-up prices that would make a flea market seller blush. The problem spiraled across various states, making it seem less like a few bad apples in one small department and more like a crop of rotten fruit across the entire national police force. Given the sheer volume of law enforcement personnel, it becomes painfully clear that a couple of dozen cases over two decades looks like a drop in a bucket. But the issue here isn’t just the numbers; it’s about trust.
Why Double Standards on Guns Are a Terrible Idea https://t.co/qOkdLkrOA7
— Ralph Baldi (@BaldiRalph) December 5, 2024
The argument for exempting law enforcement from strict gun laws is predicated on a faulty premise: that cops are inherently more responsible than the average gun owner. This is laughable since countless civilians have rigorous training in firearm safety, yet they still find themselves in the crosshairs of public scrutiny. Meanwhile, the men and women in blue can line their pockets through backdoor deals, all while brandishing artillery that would make civilian gun owners green with envy.
In the end, this bizarre disconnect leads to a tragic comedy of errors. Those who scream “All Cops Are Bastards” seem to have no issue when it comes down to arming those same bastards to the teeth. What a world we live in when police can have more firepower than a small nation, all while citizens adopting the solemn, law-abiding role are left with their mitts tied behind their backs. One can only shake their head and chuckle at the irony of it all.
