Running for office isn't an easy task. You have to organize a campaign that's efficient and draws voters to you. But the hardest part of it all is persuading your potential constituents to support your policy platform.
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the race for mayor is already underway. Elections will be held on November 7, 2017, and one candidate is turning heads with what he's proposing.
The candidate, Raymond Dehn, is currently a state representative for District 59B. And Dehn thinks police don't need a gun on them unless they're in their squad vehicle.
Fox 9 reported:
State Representative and Minneapolis mayoral candidate Raymond Dehn is calling for major policing changes, proposing to take away guns from the majority of officers.
Dehn is one of several candidates running to beat current Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges in the fall.
Watch Secretary Zinke Celebrate Police Week by Firing Giant Guns With Cops
He recently won the support of voters at the Democratic Farmer Labor convention and now his call to disarm police of their side guns is garnering major attention.
“I'm not saying they don't have access to that, just like they have access to more lethal weapons in their cars, I would believe they would still have access to their guns in their cars,” said Dehn.
Dehn says he is open to law enforcement using other means to fight crime, though. What does he suggest?
Pepper spray and nightsticks.
You might be wondering what those who put away the bad guys think. An individual in law enforcement who asked to remain anonymous told Independent Journal Review:
"Everyday law enforcement officers at all levels, whether it is local, state, tribal, or federal, are put into dangerous positions. This is by the very nature of the job title of a 'law enforcement officer,' an individual who has taken an oath affirming their commitment to enforcing the laws of their jurisdiction.
When doing this job forces them into a dangerous position, they must use appropriate force and tools to ensure and maintain compliance of suspects. My ultimate goal and the goal of every law enforcement officer I know is to go home when my daily work is done.
My firearm, which I have received extensive training with just as most men and women in my profession do, is the most serious tool at my disposal to do my job of enforcing the law and to succeed in my goal of going home. Taking away that tool seriously impedes my ability to do my job and reach my goal. This proposal is irresponsible, dangerous, and the result of an emotional response to very real issues."
Dehn, who hopes to unseat Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges, is the first candidate in the race to suggest such an eyebrow-raising idea.
WATCH: Trump on guns
.jpg)
.jpg)
