A Hard Act to Follow

ESSEX, Vt. -- Hours after breaking up with his girlfriend, a man shot four people Thursday, including the girlfriend's mother and her co-worker at an elementary school, then shot himself in the head, police said.

Vermont? Can't everybody carry concealed there without a permit?

Not exactly.

From Act 113:

...The school board shall regulate or prohibit firearms or other dangerous or deadly weapons on school premises...

No person shall knowingly possess a firearm or a dangerous or deadly weapon while within a school building or on a school bus. A person who violates this section shall, for the first offense, be imprisoned not more than one year or fined not more than $1,000.00, or both, and for a second or subsequent offense shall be imprisoned not more than three years or fined not more than $5,000.00, or both...

This section shall not apply to:

(1) A law enforcement officer while engaged in law enforcement duties.

(2) Possession and use of firearms or dangerous or deadly weapons if the board of school directors, or the superintendent or principal if delegated authority to do so by the board, authorizes possession or use for specific occasions or for instructional or other specific purposes.

I'd guess maniac shooter Christopher Williams didn't have board permission. Any bets no one else did, either?

And guess who wouldn't have it any other way?

Some of us disagree, but alas, our voices don't carry as far.

Can't Explain

JT McAdams takes exception to Mayor Coleen Seng's description of her "primary responsibilities.":

Dear Mayor,

I was wondering if the following sounds like something you recited some time ago:

"I solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Nebraska, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of the office of Mayor in and for Lincoln, Nebraska, according to law and to the best of my ability."

Please explain where “safety and well being of” the citizens is indicated as your primary responsibility. Please explain why the above oath has been shoved somewhere down the line of your responsibilities. Please explain, Mayor, why you wish to be “Mother” to all the good citizens of Lincoln instead of what people elected you to be. Please explain why you think you know what’s best for everyone despite what the Constitution says. Please explain why your police chief’s opinion is relevant to upholding the Constitution of the UNITED STATES as well as your own state. Please explain to your electorate why they elected you in the first place, because I think some of them are wondering. Please explain. Please.

You have a lot of explaining to do.

Squirrely Democrats

Alphecca defines the problem.

Blognomicon just may have found the solution.

Do it for the children.

I love it when a plan comes together!

This Day in History: August 25

Influential political philosopher David Hume dies in Edinburgh, Scotland, on this day in 1776.

Although Hume died when the American Revolution was barely underway, his essay “Idea of a Perfect Commonwealth” greatly affected the ideas of the drafters of the federal Constitution in 1787.

I stopped posting these a while back because The History Channel website hadn't completed entries for the summer months. It looks like they're back on track, so I'm pleased to once more offer links.

Killing the Messenger

Football game broadcasts are filled with beer and car advertisements. Not to mention, the parking lots next to the stadium filled with drunk tailgaters driving home after the game.

Perhaps we should ban all advertising for any product that could be used in a reckless or illegal manner to injure, maim, or kill.

mAss Backwards shows us antis don't just want to ban guns--they want to ban the thought of guns.

Oh, and the chief whiner is John Rosenthal, you know, the foundation president for the American Hunters and Shooters Association. That's the group that provides a "middle ground" for gun owners--or so foolish "outdoors writers" like Bill Schneider tell their readers...

[Via Gun Law News, via Bitch Girls]

Menino Proves It's Good to be King

Boston Mayor Tom Menino gets a firsthand look at the gun violence plaguing his city's streets.

Menino was on a walking tour in Dorchester Monday night when a man went running by the mayor with a loaded gun in his hand.

Nineteen-year-old Adelino Monteiro was taken into custody after a brief foot chase by Boston police.

Wow, instant subject-funded police protection! Sweet!

And if your Praetorian Guard hadn't been there, Tom?

Why, then you'd have been in the same boat as your tax cows.

The Wrong Hands

The Kent County Sheriff's Department is announcing a gun buy-back program to keep weapons out of the wrong hands...

"It's basically designed for those guns that are unregistered or unlicensed. If it's a gun that was involved in a shooting or crime, then the amnesty is not going to cover that area," Hess said.

So, then, it's not going to "keep weapons out of the wrong hands," is it?

I love the way these people contradict themselves, and the "authorized journalists" are either too dumb or complicit to make that connection.

The Correct Question is "Do I Feel Lucky?"

The number of gun-related crimes in Toronto this summer is down considerably from a year ago. Do you feel safer?

Well, do ya punk?

A Wrong Assumption

A former Utica Common Council member yesterday said he meant to scare a colleague when he put his hand on a gun on his desk...

[Roger] Palek said William Schrader wrongly assumed he was in danger.

You're lucky he didn't wrongly assume you into the morgue, Rog.

We're the Only Ones Domestic Enough

Two studies have found that at least 40% of police officer families experience domestic violence, in contrast to 10% of families in the general population. A third study of older and more experienced officers found a rate of 24%, indicating that domestic violence is 2-4 times more common among police families than American families in general...

[M]ost departments across the country typically handle cases of police family violence informally, often without an official report, investigation, or even check of the victim's safety

Well, ye-ah! If they were treated the way the rest of us would be, including a federally-mandated lifetime prohibition on gun ownership, well, they wouldn't be "The Only Ones", would they?

[Via E. David Quammen]

"My Primary Responsibility"

Lincoln, NE Mayor Coleen Seng responds to a letter from JT McAdams:

August 18, 2006

JT McAdams

Dear Mr. McAdams:

Thank you for your comments on my proposed ordinance on concealed weapons. As you may already know, the City Council voted to remove the proposal from their agenda.

As Mayor, my primary responsibility is the safety and well-being of our citizens. I depend upon our Police Department and it's officers as the experts in dealing with crime and safety issues. Police Chief Casady and at least 85% of the officers believe that the concealed carry law is a bad idea for Lincoln. They are concerned about encountering more guns in their work, guns being taken away or stolen from permit holders, and the increased risk of mishaps such as accidental shootings.

The State’s concealed carry law has several loopholes that pose serious problems for Lincoln, particularly those concerned about domestic violence. The crimes of impersonating a police officer, stalking, and violating a protection order do not disqualify a person from receiving a concealed weapon permit.

The research on the impacts of concealed weapon laws on crime rates is mixed. Most of the conclusions reached depend upon the point of view of the researcher. However, one study validated what our police officers are saying. In the first five and one-half years of the concealed weapons law in Texas, concealed weapon permit holders were arrested over 5,300 times, or nearly three times a day. While some arrests were for very serious, pre-meditated crimes, others were the result of good people having guns at their worst moments. Simply encouraging more weapons does not necessarily produce a safe community.

Thanks again for your comments.

Sincerely,

Coleen J. Seng
Mayor of Lincoln

Escaping the Village: The Great Unifier

[This is the first in a planned series of follow-up observations to "Questions and Answers"]

On the surface, the claim that the gun issue is a unifier seems demonstrably absurd. After all, any "reputable" poll on gun ownership will show most Americans support some form of "gun control," with some demographics overwhelmingly backing increased restrictions and outright bans, and even "pro-gun" voters demanding enforcement of "existing gun laws."

Then you have the infighting between "gun rights activists"--with the self-styled "pragmatists" far outnumbering those they deride as "absolutists," at least if being effective at organizing is any indicator.

The unifier is we "gun rights activists" agree that peaceable individuals ought to have the choice to own guns, and acknowledge that they can play a key role in maintaining freedom. True, there are varying degrees of tolerance for infringements within our ranks, such as those endorsing CCW permitting schemes, but that still leaves us in agreement on the core issue of gun ownership being an individual right.

So you can be an anarcho-capitalist, a libertarian, a Christian conservative, and find common ground on guns.

We need to focus on that unifying commonality and how best to exploit it.

I don't think we'll find that focus through politics. Aside from way too many races being a "lesser of two evils" proposition, this is where our divisiveness really hurts our effectiveness. This candidate may be right on guns, but he's wrong on the border issue, or abortion, or drugs, and besides, voting's a (pick one) [right/duty/joke/exercise in majority tyranny] anyway. I will, however, look at how we can have a greater effect on the political process in a later post (Hint: it involves hijacking a race and extorting the candidate).

I believe we need to focus efforts on expanding the "market demand" for the right to own a gun, that is, on education and outreach. And our biggest obstacle to doing this is ourselves, as demonstrated by...

Next time: "Profiles in Apathy"

What California Republicans Think of Gun Owners

California Republicans believe a handsome, blue-state Republican such as Mitt Romney would turn the presidential map upside down in 2008, appealing to the voters on both coasts who normally back Democrats in national elections.

Here you go, gun owners, a nice big order of GOP ordure to swallow.

And you'll like it, or we'll pull (Boogedy-Boogedy!) Hillary on you!

The Way Things Ought to Be

The first day of the event, I'll admit, I'd do double-takes when seeing someone walk through the vendor mall with a shotgun on their shoulder. By the second day, I didn't even notice.

Seeing all the guns in the open might make city folks a little uneasy - sometimes with good reason. However, any fears politicians had about this facility were misplaced. I can't think of a place in Southern Illinois I'd feel safer.

Les Winkeler still has some growing to do, but he's coming along...

[Thanks to HZ]

Principles for Hire

His growing kitchen cabinet spans an array of issues and backgrounds, and includes James Jay Baker, a former lobbyist for the National Rifle Association...

The rehabilitation of John McCain--or at least his image--with gun owners has begun.

I guess Baker thinks being a Republican is more important than defending the First and Second Amendments.

Gutzmer on Hot Issues

Hernando Zavala asked me to share the following exchange with Peter Gutzmer, Democratic Candidate for Illinois Senate 27th district:

I have been asked to help support your candidacy. I believe that every elected office in state government can act as a stepping stone to a higher elected office at the federal level. Since we are wholly responsible for the people we place in office and bear the consequences of their actions while in office, I strongly believe a critical analysis of a candidate's stance on the issues is in order.

If you would have my help and support, I ask for your stance on the following two issues. I know time is critical when running for office so I will not expect anything more than brief replies. I looked for these two topics on your website but they were not addressed.

• What is your stance on abortion? (i.e. At what point do you believe life begins?)
• What is your stance on gun control? (i.e. Are there any restrictions which you would repeal? Any restrictions which you would support? Assault weapons?)

I know these are "hot button" issues but your responses (or your silence) on these two issues will tell me everything I need to know about you. Please take your time in answering.

Candidate Gutzmer's reply:

Thank you for contacting me, I find it truly encouraging to see people engaged in the political process because your right, voters are essentially responsibly for those whom they elect.

My position on Abortion is as follows: I am not for abortions, any woman or couple who must go through that moral tragedy is a shame. As to when life begins, I believe that is a question for each of us to address personally via our faith and belief structure. Because of this I want to do two things. The first is abortion should always be legal, its illegality pushes a dangerous medical procedure into the shadows and I believe that could be catastrophic to the reproductive health of all women. The second involves an effort to always reduce the number abortions performed each year. I believe that through comprehensive sex education and the interest of engaged parents, we can arm our children with the knowledge of the responsibilities and consequences that come along with having sex. This is an issue that touches people in the most deep of personal places, but that must not stop us from confronting these issues from a rational perspective, one that will allow us to progress rather than regress.

My position on gun control is as follows: I am a gun owner, I own a handgun, a rifle, and a shotgun. As a sportsman I am more than willing to jump through any hoops conceivable when purchasing or using my firearms to ensure these weapons do not fall into the wrong hands. I do believe that every law-abiding citizen has the right to own a firearm. I was also glad that you asked about assault weapons. I find no earthly reason why an average citizen would have a need for weapons specifically designed for military use, I do support an assault weapons ban. Furthermore I do think there is more we can do to track and monitor the sale of firearms in Illinois, and all that can be done to keep our children safe from domestic accidents should be done.

Again I thank you for your engagement. The one promise I can make to all the people of the 27th district is that I am here to listen and will always work for them. My only interest is their interest and what is best for the state of Illinois.

An Act of Faith

RADLEY BALKO SAYS let's start a blogstorm with this 13-minute YouTube video from Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

I won't have time to watch this until when I get home this evening, but if Claire Wolfe says it's worth promoting, that's good enough for me.

A Snitch Line I Could Support

In an effort to crack down on violent crime in New Orleans, the federal government announced it is "reestablishing" a gun hotline, which allows citizens to report the illegal use and possession of firearms around the clock...

"I encourage the citizens of New Orleans to take back their neighborhoods by calling (504) 581-GUNS," Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said at a press conference on Monday.

I agree. Start by fingering NOPD, and reporting their possession of firearms illegally confiscated from citizens during Hurricane Katrina.

Hezbollah Gun Control

Ri-ight.

We're the Only Ones Who Don't Compute Enough

An LAPD narcotics officer will be investigated for the "negligent" firing of a handgun that discharged while being cleaned, putting a bullet into an office computer, it was announced Monday.

Hey, if the "handgun...discharged" and "the incident occurred," why are they investigating the poor "Only One"?

Oh, you mean that's "authorized journalist" code for he fired the gun?