(Albuquerque) APD to buy 350-plus AR-15 rifles

New Mexico's largest police department, mired in controversy over the use of excessive force, is about to supply military-style weapons to officers using taxpayer money.

The investigative team at KOB Eyewitness News 4 learned that Albuquerque Police awarded a bid to a local vendor for the purchase of AR-15 rifles -- the type of gun used to kill James Boyd in the foothills in March.

According to the request for bid, which ended two weeks ago, the department would likely purchase 350 guns in the first year of a two-year contract. Thereafter, it would order quantities of 50 as necessary.

"You're asking for trouble, in my opinion," Peter Simonson, Executive Director of the ACLU of New Mexico said.

Simonson was unaware of the department's purchasing plans until KOB contacted him. He thought APD was moving away from using high-powered weapons after the Department of Justice said APD officers have a "pattern and practice" of using excessive and deadly force.

To be honest, a police department with AR-15s does not concern me in the least. Now a police department with AR-15s in a place which does not allow Joe Citizen to have an AR-15, on the other hand... that's what concerns me. I think the police department should be allowed to carry whatever weapons they want feel are necessary, provided that the citizens are allowed to own those exact same weapons.

If the police believe that AR-15s are necessary for their normal work (many police departments already carry carbines in their patrol cars), then fine; I can own one, too, if I choose. If they think they need something fully automatic like an M16 (say in a high-crime area or along a major drug route), great. But you'd better get rid of all those silly unconstitutional laws that make it unreasonably difficult for me to own one, too.

If the police purchase an MRAP for just the cost of delivery, more power to them. They just better not prevent me from purchasing an Abrams tank for the same price if I so desire!

After all, if the police believe there's a credible threat against which they must be that heavily armed, then I should arm myself against that threat, too, shouldn't I?

The first time I became aware of just how much better the heavy .223 bullets do over the .308 bullets was when I shot and old syrup cooker which looked a bit like a WWI Helmet lying on it’s back.

I shot it with both an HK-91 with German surplus ammo and the Colt H-Bar with a 20 inch barrel. This was at a range of around 600 yards. It was easy to hit with either gun but the H-Bar shot flatter and it put holes through the cooker. The .308 just put a dent in them.

“Isn’t this the place thats shooting lots of people?”

Yeah, and in one of their counties, you can get pulled over for a traffic violation and have a colonoscopy to check your dumper for drugs at a hospital in the next county. New Mexico, sure has the right name now doesn’t it!

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