A member of law enforcement found guilty of selling illegal firearms claims that he is not alone. According to CBS News, police chief Bradley Wendt of Adair, Iowa, used his position to obtain weapons to flip for profit. Earlier this year, Wendt was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud the United States, lying to federal law enforcement, and illegal possession of a machine gun.
“If I’m guilty of this, every cop in the nation’s going to jail,” shared Wendt with the news outlet. He was sentenced to five years and is appealing his conviction.
An investigation conducted by CBS News gives weight to Wendt’s hyperbolic statement. The outlet uncovered dozens of law enforcement leaders — sheriffs, captains, lieutenants, chiefs of police — buying and illegally selling firearms, including weapons of war, across 23 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C.
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A nationwide review found at least 50 cases of police illegally selling weapons over the past two decades, with many going to gun enthusiasts and another cache ending up in the hands of violent felons and used to commit crimes including drug trafficking, international arms dealing, and fatal shootings.
CBS reports nearly 26,000 guns were traced from American crime scenes back to a government agency, law enforcement, or the military between 2017 and 2021. However, it isn’t known how many of those were lost, stolen, or sold. Still, the outlet notes when government auditors investigated firearms that law enforcement agencies reported missing over 15 years, the General Services Administration Inspector General found that more than two-thirds had not gone missing but were inappropriately sold or traded.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump attends a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on November 19, 2024 in Brownsville, Texas.
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President-elect Donald Trump has said he will give police immunity from prosecution without sharing details or how he would implement a policy, per Verify, and that this immunity would not be granted extend to every single case of police misconduct. The website details Trump’s plans to sign a bill that will “increase vital liability protections for America’s law enforcement officers.”
National Fraternal Order of Police Vice President Joe Gamaldi said Trump’s victory reflects voters who are “tired of all the chaos and disorder we’re seeing in our streets. We are tired of the ‘defund the police’ talk, and basically we’re just tired of the crap,” per NPR.
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