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Senate votes to allow police to buy surplus military equipment with minor restrictions

The Senate Tuesday voted to allow federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement departments to continue to be allowed to purchase surplus military equipment and weapons, putting few regulations in place restricting such transactions, Roll Call reports.

Two competing amendments made it to the floor for votes, with the Senate choosing to pass the one that only required training and education programs in place, without restricting the types of materiel available to police departments.

The issue of the militarization of the police has been in the public eye recently as police–wearing paramilitary garb and in some cities, using military-style vehicles–used force to break up demonstrations about police violence and its excess use of force.

The approved amendment, passed with a 90-10 vote, requires departments and agencies receiving the excess military gear to train their officers to “respect for the rights of citizens under the Constitution of the United States and de-escalation of force.”

Sponsored by Oklahoma republican James Inhofe, the bill also bans the sale of bayonets, grenades other than stun and flash-bang grenades, weaponized tracked combat vehicles and weaponized drones to outside groups.

The other bill, sponsored by Hawaii Democrat Brian Schatz, won a majority of Senate votes in a 51-49, but did not hit the minimum 60 votes needed for passage.

Schatz’s bill incorporated all the facets of Inhofe’s bill, but also banned the sale of tear gas, grenade launchers, firearms of .50 caliber or higher and ammunition of .50 caliber or higher.

Schatz’s bill also would have barred a department which was found to have violated civilians’ First Amendment rights from buying surplus equipment for five years.

The Inhofe amendment will become part of the defense authorization bill once reconciled with the House version in conference committee.  The bill, vital to the ongoing operation of the US military, faces a potential veto from President Trump if it contains a provision to rename military assets, like bases, that bear the names of Confederate leaders.

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