By Dan Calabrese ——Bio and Archives--August 29, 2017
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After a review, Obama decided to bar the military from transferring certain types of equipment to police, including tracked armored vehicles, armed aircraft or vehicles of any kind, .50-caliber firearms and ammunition, grenade launchers, bayonets and camouflage uniforms. Obama also required police agencies to justify their need when seeking items like helicopters and aircraft, wheeled armored vehicles, unmanned drone aircraft, riot helmets and pyrotechnics like “flash-bangs.” USA Today reported on Sunday that the U.S. government may soon lift the ban. “These restrictions that had been imposed went too far,” Sessions told a meeting of the Fraternal Order of Police in Nashville on Monday. “We will not put superficial concerns above public safety. We will do our best to get you what you need.” It was not immediately clear how far Trump’s executive order would go in rescinding Obama’s restrictions, which barred some items not commonly used by police.
But Sessions said “good equipment saves lives” and the executive order Trump plans to sign would “ensure that you can get the life-saving gear you need to do your job.” Sessions said one sheriff had told him the restrictions had led the Defense Department to make his office return an armored vehicle that could been helpful if they had to confront someone involved in a shooting rampage.
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