As the U.S. military works to sell off its surplus equipment—namely its tactical vehicles—after more than a decade of war, its latest customer may be one you wouldn’t expect: local police forces. Overburdened with an excess of mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles (mraps), the Defense Logistics Agency (dla) has practically been giving these $1 million vehicles out for free to any police force that can pay the shipping costs and justify the need.

Since August, 75 of these vehicles have been given away to local police departments, according to the dla. Law enforcement offices across the country, including offices in Washington, Tennessee, Texas and New York, have already acquired these vehicles. Even Ohio State University has one for its own police force.

While it seems sensible that the military give out these vehicles to be used rather than sit and collect dust, you have to wonder why military-grade vehicles are being deployed in America. Built to withstand mine blasts, ieds, and small arms fire, these 19-ton behemoths are now being made available to assist with “active-shooter incidents, swat, and drug interdiction,” according to dla spokeswoman Mimi Schirmacher.

With the increase of drug-related and other violence throughout America, streets are becoming war zones, and police are having to act accordingly. Take Chicago, for example. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that one person was killed and 15 people were wounded from shootings that took place just over the weekend. On September 19, thirteen people—including a 3-year-old boy—were wounded in a mass shooting that prompted Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn to offer the assistance of the National Guard to help deal with the violence.

But would deploying the National Guard really help solve the violence in Chicago? Will mraps make city streets safer? As violence escalates in America, few stop to consider why we find ourselves plagued with violence. Instead, many just simply accept it as part of America’s constantly changing social condition.

Consider that the first official Special Weapons and Tactics (swat) team was not developed until 1966. Violence taking place in cities across America was becoming so brutal and sophisticated that normal police officers could not defend themselves. So Daryl Gates, who was at the time an inspector with the Los Angeles Police Department, began to envision an elite military-style strike team that could deal with this new kind of violence. As the Wall Street Journal wrote, “He was drawn in particular to Marine Special Forces and began to envision an elite group of police officers who could respond in a similar manner to dangerous domestic disturbances.” American streets had become so dangerous that a military force, essentially, was needed to keep the peace.

Look at what has happened since. Police departments have had to outfit themselves with bigger, more advanced weapons as they continue to wage war against drug cartels, crazed gunmen and terrorists. Violence has mounted across the United States, and Americans have come to accept it as a part of daily life. A Pew study found that 75 percent of Americans accept that occasional terrorist attacks in America will be part of everyday life in the future.

Is there a reason for the violence that plagues America? Can it be stopped? Should Americans simply accept it as a part of life? Or should it cause us to ask deeper questions? As editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote in his booklet Ezekiel: The End-Time Prophet,

America, Britain and Israel have a terrible problem on their hands: violence. Violence from domestic troubles like race riots—violence from terrorist attacks.Many people have been affected by this scourge in these countries. I believe they are much more likely to recognize the seriousness of this issue. If you have not been personally affected, it is easy to want to pass such problems off as isolated incidents. [But] this violence is a much more serious danger than most people would ever imagine!

Do you know what is in store for America? You need to read Ezekiel: The End-Time Prophet to see what is coming in the very near future and what will touch the life of every single American. Violence is about to intensify exponentially. However, all of this violence precipitates the greatest event ever to occur: the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. At His return, all wars will cease, all violence will be stopped, and a Millennium of uninterrupted peace will ensue.