Who Guards the Guards: “Guns missing from Pine County Sheriff’s Office”
So far the year started off without stories like this one, but this week The Duluth News Tribune and other local outlets offered another story we hate to hear about – “Guns missing from the Pine County Sheriff’s Office.” The paper paints an even worse picture:
The ongoing firearms investigation is one of 11 internal investigations involving 15 sheriff’s office employees conducted over the past year. The investigations included complaints of domestic violence, sexual harassment, excessive force, abuse of authority, failure to follow policies and order, and failure to perform assigned duties. The investigations produced disciplinary actions ranging from oral reprimands to termination.
All of this is very upsetting, but the issue of the guns is the one we find very disturbing as it sort of takes aim at the argument that only police should have guns. In this case at least a dozen or so guns would now be in the hands of the bad guys near Duluth if “only the police” had guns.
Pantagraph Reporter Changes Opinion on Guns
This past weekend writer Edith Brady-Lunny offered personal experiences on the issue of firearms for Pantagraph. But consider how this piece starts out:
Personal bias is something journalists are trained avoid [sic] when they cover the news.
When I started working on a story about the controversial issue of concealed carry of weapons in Illinois, I was forced to face my own bias. I have never lived in a home with guns and considered myself the quintessential anti-gun nut.
First, we congratulate Brady-Lunny, not for the article that follows – where she describes her experience at the gun range – but rather that she admits she has her own bias. Too many journalists, for reasons that we don’t truly understand, have a natural bias against guns. At least Brady-Lunny admitted of such.
But let’s look at one other statement she makes:
My aversion to guns and my long-held belief that less is better when it comes to firearms in the hands of anyone other than peace officers or soldiers is rooted in my experience as a journalist. I have witnessed firsthand the harm and carnage that comes from people wielding guns. The images of a heart or a head riddled with bullets and stories of the aftermath of gun violence have always stayed with me.
And here is the root of the bias, which we don’t understand. Brady-Lunny is clearly an idealist, someone who believes cops are always the good guys, soldiers only protect the innocent and only bad people would want a gun otherwise. Clearly this journalist hasn’t watched the world news – where it took guns from Libyan rebels (and help from NATO in the way of air support) to take down a dictator, or where the military in Syria retains control despite attempts to start a revolution. Clearly this journalist doesn’t follow the news that SWAT team guns were stolen in Los Angeles, or read that a police chief in New Mexico helped arm criminals. And there was the soldier smuggling guns into the U.K.
Clearly those examples that we show that this idealistic view can be far from ideal in the real, cold, hard world. But she also notes the “images of a heart or a head riddled with bullets,” and yet does she not think of the 18-year old mother who defended her home and infant son on New Year’s Eve? Just something to think about.
But again, at least this journalist admitted to her bias. And as with addiction, the first step is admitting there is a problem.
Misleading Patch.com Headline Suggests “Gun Control” Effective
Read this headline:
Efforts to Control Firearms Aim to Help Overall Safety
This headline makes it sound like “gun control is working.” But this story in Patch.com offers this dek (that’s what editors call the secondary headline) noting that this issue is really “illegal firearms” so where does the “gun control” part come in?
According to the LA County Sheriff’s Department, the Century Station’s efforts to stop illegal firearm possession are helping to reduce overall violent crimes in the area.
The story itself is far from being about guns, but rather crime. However, here is yet another example of a media story that blames crime on guns.
New York News Website Shows New York Arrogance
Ask a New Yorker to name the capital city of Alabama and most probably wouldn’t know. Ask a New Yorker what a “Michigan U-Turn” is when driving a car, and they probably wouldn’t know. Ask a New Yorker about laws for purchasing alcohol in Utah and chances are they might not know. Yet the New York City media seems to question why tourists don’t understand New York’s gun laws.
Website Gothamist for example noted:
Who believes that carrying a firearm into iconic, highly secured New York landmarks is a good idea? Metal detectors are designed to expose weapons, not belt buckles, yet clueless tourists keep getting hauled into court for packing heat at the Empire State Building. Now some Marines are claiming that Indiana native Ryan Jerome, himself a Marine who was arrested for trying to check his .45 Ruger with authorities in September, is more equal than others who have made the same mistake.
Is it necessary o describe these people as “clueless tourists,” especially in the case of Ryan Jerome, who was actually in New York City on business. But of course this is par for the course from the New Yorkers.
Gun Saves Childs’ Lives but Media Barely Picks Up Story
Over the weekend former police officer and current body guard Chris Willden used his gun to save the lives of two children, who were trapped in a car after their father lost control and ended up driving into a river. Mr. Willden ran to the rescue, and shot out the windows to free the children.
Imagine how this story might have played out if Willden didn’t have gun? We don’t hear any comments from anti-gun types on this story now do we?
Altoona Mirror: Disarming all except criminals
Gun control zealots often say that if all guns were banned there would be no crime. But this week The Altoona Mirror offered an interesting editorial, titled “Disarming all except criminals.” It noted that Washington, D.C.’s sweep of illegal guns swept up a lot of guns!
Clearly, the criminal element in Washington is well armed. The city’s strict gun laws don’t seem to have even slowed violent thugs down.
Meanwhile, law-abiding citizens who want to protect themselves, their families and their homes are told they can own guns only under very narrow restrictions.
It is nice to see some in the media actually noting this point. Guns are not the problem, it is criminals. And no amount of gun bans or legislation is going to stop the criminals from getting guns. D.C. should be a proving ground for that fact!
NRA News: Police Fatalities Rise 13 Percent – Eric Holder Blames Guns
Cam Edwards talks to Frank Borelli from Officer.com
NJ2AS Operation Establish Compliance Records First Substantial Victory
Manahawkin, NJ – The New Jersey Second Amendment Society (NJ2AS) has recorded its first substantial victory in Operation Establish Compliance with the reversal of Egg Harbor Township’s policy of requiring the signing of an unlimited release of information and liability waiver as a condition of processing firearms permit applications. Operation Establish Compliance is the ongoing effort to force Municipal Police Departments to issue firearms permits in accordance with the law.
NJ2AS was only days away from filing a lawsuit challenging the additional form when Drew Parker, who serves on the Egg Harbor Township Zoning Board and is a member of NJ2AS, brought the issue to the attention of the Township Committee. The Committee immediately conducted a thorough investigation, led by Joe Cafero, ultimately concluding that the form was in use, and was, in fact, an illegal additional requirement. The Committee then acted quickly to stop the use of the form.
“The NJ2AS Board of Directors, Staff and all of our members applaud the actions of the Egg Harbor Township’s Township Committee and the cooperation of their Chief of Police.”, said Frank Fiamingo, President and co-founder of NJ2AS. “We are grateful that they did the right thing, and in doing so, have avoided a costly lawsuit for both parties. It is encouraging to see such effective and responsible leadership at the local level. That’s the whole point of having a Second Amendment Society. So we can work together to resolve problems.”
NJ2AS has now shifted focus to another town with similar requirements. “Our current, ongoing lawsuit, NJ2AS v. NJSP, seeking access to the New Jersey State Police Firearms Applicant Investigation Guide, has shown that we are willing to go to the mat.”, Frank Fiamingo went on to say. “We will do whatever it takes to eliminate these illegal practices. As usual, we will provide updates to our efforts in Operation Establish Compliance as soon as they become available. Anyone can sign up for our free email alert system at NJ2AS.com.”
The New Jersey Second Amendment Society (http://www.NJ2AS.com) is the most relevant pro-gun-owner organization in New Jersey with thousands of members and supporters throughout the State, emphasizing education of the community and legislature, safety and skills training and properly distinguishing between criminals and the law-abiding in legislation and administrative practices.
Who Guards the Guards: Guns Stolen from Trooper’s Home
WTHI is reporting that “police are looking for 2 people they suspect of stealing guns from an Indiana State Police Detective’s home.”
While we don’t fault the officer in this case, it does show that criminals will find guns, even if “only the police” have guns as many anti-gun zealots say should be the case. So if only the police had guns, now the criminals would as well.
Who Guards the Guards: One Law For Them…
Today seems to be a big day for “Who Guards the Guards” stories, and this one is something to think about very hard. California has extremely strict gun laws regarding what private citizens can and cannot own, and yet the Associated Press noted, via the San Jose Mercury News:
Peace officers throughout California have bought more than 7,600 assault weapons that are outlawed for civilians in the decade since state lawmakers allowed the practice, according to data obtained by The Associated Press after it was revealed that federal authorities are investigating illegal gun sales by law enforcement.
Investigators have not said what kinds of weapons were involved, but did say they were ones that officers can buy but civilians cannot. That category also can include certain types of handguns and high-capacity ammunition magazines.
We would ask, if private citizens can’t own these guns, why do the police need them?
