We're in the Business of Public Safety

"We're in the business of public safety and our goal with gun amnesty was to reduce the risk of having the firearms stolen from residences and used for criminal purposes," said Deputy Chief Ken Leendertse.

Yeah, good job, Ken. We can all sleep better knowing another Brown Bess--made only for killing, and firing a .71 caliber projectile (much larger than the diameter of a .50 BMG. sniper rifle bullet that shoots through 12-foot armor plated airplanes at 7,000 miles and is the terrorists' weapon of choice for targeting underground bunkers, dams and, Oh God, we're not safe anywhere!)--off the streets.

I love the new law enforcement subterfuge that by removing our property, they're removing criminal temptation.

The idiot owner who didn't know what they had on their hands reminds me of the Eloi in the George Pal version of The Time Machine. They had a library at their disposal, but they weren't even curious enough to know what books were, let alone to learn what that the markings were symbols that could impart knowledge. Volumes still on the shelves crumbled into dust when picked up.

This is what heritage and the sacrifices of the past mean to far too many of our contemporaries. It's a major reason why we're in the mess we find ourselves.