(SurvivalDaily.com) – The US is undergoing some drastic changes when the new year rolls in. With at least 13 cities defunding their police force, who knows how many more will join them by the end of the year. This isn’t something to be taken lightly, crime is likely going to increase, much like it has already, possibly even more.
Cities Looking to Defund Police
While the idea remains largely unpopular among Americans, some cities have already taken the necessary steps to defund their police departments. America’s two largest cities have announced plans to defund their departments. New York and Los Angeles, after weeks of protests, decided to approve budget cuts. $1 billion was cut from the 2021 budget that totals $88.9 billion, with $354 million being reallocated to mental health, homelessness, and education services in NYC. LA approved budget cuts of $150 million from their proposed budget of $1.86 billion.
The nation’s capital, Washington DC, slashed $15 million in July, prompting it to become a hot topic in the months leading up to the 2020 election. Other cities are following the trend:
- Baltimore cut $22 million
- Portland eliminated $16 million
- Philadelphia took away $33 million
- Hartford, Connecticut slashed $1million
- Norman, Oklahoma cut $856,000
Austin, Texas is the latest city to decide on bringing budget cuts to their police departments, slicing the budget by $150 million, nearly one-third of the police’s budget. Austin looks to reinvest the newly freed up money to fund social programs: violence prevention, food access, and abortion access. While Austin may be the most recent city to make the decision of defunding their police, Minneapolis has perhaps made the most drastic choice.
Minneapolis is talking about taking what is largely considered the most radical approach, with a majority of the City Council backing a push to completely disband the police department and replace it with unarmed professionals. These professionals would respond to calls just like the police would, except they’ll be unarmed.
Crime Wave
The call to defund the police comes at what seems to be a bad time. Crime in several cities is on the rise; double what it was last year in some places like Minneapolis. Homicides and other violent crimes are at five-year highs in Seattle. New York has had 907 shootings this year as of July 26, almost double the 500 in 2019.
Some say the call to defund the police, the increase in crime, and the number of firearms sales are likely closely related. Firearm-related background checks are the highest they’ve ever been, hitting a record 3.9 million in June. The FBI conducted 3.6 million checks in June, making it the second-highest number of firearm-related background checks ever.
Defending Yourself
Not only are a number of cities defunding their police, but they’re also making it difficult to obtain a firearm. Of course with the police being defunded people are going to want to protect themselves. Many Americans already own guns, some didn’t see the need for them before this “defund the police” movement began, but now they do.
Seattle is one of the cities making it the hardest. There’s only one gun store in the entire city due to high taxes on gun-related sales, prompting these businesses to flee the city. Some could say it’s due to the number of people looking to buy a firearm, which could be true in some cities that are experiencing delays and backlogs.
Either way, Americans are beginning to feel more and more concerned for their safety. This is precisely why we have the Second Amendment and why it’s so important to the American people. Not only does it allow us to protect ourselves, but it allows us to fight tyranny should it ever come to the US.
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