Following the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown and the subsequent police response to protests, the nation has turned its attention to the continuing militarization of local police forces.

One Democratic member of the House of Representatives will introduce a bill that aims to curtail the acquisition of military equipment by local police forces, according to Talking Points Memo. Rep. Hank Johnson from Georgia sent a "Dear Colleague" letter to his fellow members of Congress, concerning the acquisition of military-grade weapons and tools by police forces.

"Our main streets should be a place for business, families and relaxation, not tanks and M16s," Johnson said. "Unfortunately ... our local police are quickly beginning to resemble paramilitary forces."

Known as the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act, the law "would prevent the transfer of certain military-grade equipment from the Department of Defense to local law enforcement agencies," explains TPM, and it would include automatic weapons, armored vehicles, armored drones, silencers and flash-bang or stun grenades. Johnson will introduce the bill in September when the House returns from recess.

"Before another small town's police force gets a $700,000 gift from the Defense Department that it can't maintain or manage, it behooves us to reign in the Pentagon's 1033 program and revisit the merits of a militarized America. I hope we can work together on this important issue," Johnson said in the letter.

The 1033 program allows for civilian police forces to acquire military weapons and equipment free of charge from the Department of Defense, according to USA Today. St. Louis County, in which Ferguson, Missouri, is located, has received 12 5.56-millimeter rifles and six .45 caliber pistols between Aug. 2, 2010, and Feb. 13, 2013.

However, the Pentagon only allows information on tactical equipment distribution to be released at the county level, so it is unknown what specific towns received the weapons, USA Today reported.

According to The Associated Press, the program has been in effect since the 1990s and has redistributed around $4.2 billion worth of military weapons and equipment.

Some Republicans legislators have also raised their concerns over the matter, including Sen. Rand Paul from Kentucky who penned a column for Time magazine, blaming the militarization of police on the federal government.

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