The Florida Gun Permit Loophole

Hundreds of criminals were able to obtain concealed weapons permits in Florida because of loopholes, errors and miscommunication, a newspaper reported Sunday.

The "loophole"?

You have to go to the original hysterical article this one is based on to find it.

None of the people the media is shrieking about are convicted felons.

It doesn't matter if they were accused.

It doesn't matter if they were arrested, or how many times.

It doesn't matter if they were charged.

If they have not been convicted, even if a judge elected to "withhold" conviction based on a plea arrangement, you cannot then turn around and withhold their rights. These "authorized journalists" are bewailing nothing less than our inability to punish people who have not been legally proven guilty of felonies. And until that happens, regardless of circumstances, regardless of pleas, our system affords them a presumption of innocence, and places the burden on the state to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

If the government is not doing it's job, that's the part of the system you need to fix.

So the ABC headline "Fla. Gives Gun Permits to Felons" is a lie. That's right, a lie. Pleading guilty to a felony does not make you a felon. Being convicted of one does.

Even the original report admits, albeit it is buried deep in the story:

Convicted felons cannot get gun licenses under state and federal law.

No duh. Anybody starting to feel a bit...manipulated here?

And you'll notice in all the wailing and teeth-gnashing there are no claims of any resulting increase in homicides.

This is an ongoing miniseries. I just checked, and the latest installment is here. Nothing has changed in my assessment. This is still "a tale told by [idiots], full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

We're the Only...

Hold on...

I'm saving this one for the new Carnival...

"My Gun Rap Shame"

HEARTS kid Lee Wallace has revealed he feared he'd lose everything when cops arrested him on gun charges last year.

Speaking for the first time since his conviction for possessing a loaded air gun, relieved Wallace thanked the club for standing by him.

And he told how senior players in the dressing room helped him through the shame by taking the mickey and giving him a nickname.

It's a shame he felt compelled to blubber pathetic apologies instead of standing up for his rights as a free man. The UK is becoming more and more like "A Clockwork Orange" every day, except the mass behavior conditioning is so effective they don't need the Ludovico technique.

And we're not all that far behind them.

Hungarian Goulash

The health ministry is planning to amend the law on carrying firearms: Everyone who keeps a gun at home would have to undergo psychological examinations at regular intervals. The planned amendments have been submitted to the authorities.

Being forced to go through this outrage would be enough to drive anybody a bit nuts.

Bill Brown Update: "Suspended"

Larry Rankin, passes on inside information that at least one person has dropped his CCW course in Santa Barbara because he was told the sheriff's department will not be issuing any more permits. Apparently, Sheriff Brown is also "considering" not renewing existing permits.

I wrote to the department to inquire and got this reply from their Office of Internal Affairs:

I've received your e-mail request concerning the renewal and application process relating to Conceal Weapons Permits. Normally I would forward you a packet containing all of the information you requested or call you and answer any questions you might have regarding this matter. However, a new Sheriff was recently elected and took office two weeks ago and he is in the process of reviewing the Department policy to evaluate what, if any changes he will be make to ensure that liability is kept to a minimum when dealing with Concealed Weapon's Permits. Until that time, the current policy is suspended. Hopefully, I can address this with a more definitive answer sometime at the end of February of 2007 after the Sheriff has had time to complete his revisions.

Certainly sounds like an "A" rating to me...

I will, of course, follow up on this "at the end of February."

[More on Bill Brown]

GUNS Magazine Review of "Domestic Enemies"

Matthew Bracken has posted my review of his latest book.

Déjà Vu

Instead of singing "O, say does that star-spangled banner", Senator Clinton sang, "o, say does our star-spangled banner."

Really?

This Day in History: January 29

Facing a surprise British counterassault in the bitter cold and with a snowstorm approaching, American commander Major General William Heath and his army of 6,000 abandon their siege on Fort Independence, in Bronx County, New York, on this day in 1777.