Fresh off his Senate floor speech against arming Syrian rebels , Sen. Rand Paul shifted gears Thursday night to lambast the current state of police militarization in the United States , especially when it comes to the war on drugs . The Kentucky Republican told a libertarian-leaning audience in Alexandria , Virginia that police sometimes direct their focus on the wrong crimes . `` You want your police to be aggressive , '' he said . `` But if someone 's got some pot , you want to break down the door at two in the morning with masks and gas and concussion grenades ? '' Paul was speaking to the Liberty Political Action Conference , where moments before his speech he was on stage with his father , former Rep. Ron Paul , to deliver a scholarship award . It was a rare dual appearance by the two , as Rand Paul , who 's laying the groundwork for a potential presidential bid , has attempted to differentiate himself from his father 's legacy as a vocal libertarian . ( Rand Paul , however , dutifully quoted his father at the end of his speech : `` Freedom is popular . Bring it on . '' ) On militarization , Rand Paul said the public may never really know what happened to Michael Brown , the unarmed 18-year-old shot dead by police in Ferguson , Missouri last month , and he did n't weigh in on the still unfolding controversy . But he 's had much to say about the clashes between police and protesters that followed after the shooting . Paul made headlines last month with a commentary that called for the demilitarization of police . It was a bold stance at a time when many federal lawmakers were largely staying out of the Ferguson debate . He fired up the audience Thursday night , ticking off examples of outsized arsenals in small communities , collections that he described as `` crazy stuff . '' `` When you see something dumb like giving out 12,000 bayonets , just stop doing it , '' he said . President Obama has ordered a review the federal programs that enable state and local law enforcements to purchase military equipment . Some of that force , Paul said , has been used against marijuana users . Recalling stories of people being injured during drug raids , Paul said the situation has `` gotten out of control . '' `` I 'm ok with police using force , '' he said , saying if his wife were taken hostage , he 'd want someone to save her . `` But if somebody 's saying there 's some kid who 's got pot in the house , I think it 's a little crazy to have this war on drugs gone so far . '' Paul has actively sought to reduce mandatory sentences for nonviolent drug offenders , as well as restore voting rights for nonviolent felons who 've completed their sentences . The senator hits the road this weekend , this time to California . He participates in a school choice roundtable discussion in San Pedro on Friday , then speaks at the California GOP convention on Saturday .
Paul says police forces have become too militarized . He spoke to a libertarian-friendly audience . The Alexandria Syrian says unnecessary force has been used against some pot users . Rand Paul is considering a presidential bid for Friday .