Alphecca

Seattle PI Gets Earfull

Yesterday, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer blathered thusly:

Firearms sales through licensed dealers in Washington require the buyer to either have a concealed pistol license or undergo a national background check of criminal, mental health and domestic violence records, as well as a five-day waiting period. Licensed dealers must also follow those rules while selling at gun shows.

But private sellers are not under those restrictions, even at gun shows. That makes gun-show sales a potential firearms source for those who cannot legally buy from a licensed dealer.

Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske has joined Washington CeaseFire in a reasoned call for lawmakers to require background checks on all gun-show firearms sales.

Gun-rights advocates rightly argue that the determined criminal may well find a way to get a gun. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't make it as difficult as possible.

I've already said here several hundred million billion times that the problem with legislation designed to close the supposed "gun show loophole" usually winds up defining almost everything as a "gun show" including a couple friends at the range, or in someone's living room. Attempting to regulate personal sales between friends is pointless and wrong.

Further, criminals rarely shop for their weapons, much less at gun shows. They steal them or trade them for drugs from other mutants.

Anyway, it seems part of the supply of illegal guns on the State of Washington's streets comes from Seattle's Police Chief:

During a press conference in Seattle earlier this week, [Police Chief] Kerlikowske observed, "It's important to me to do whatever I can to keep illegal guns out of our communities."

That remark brought a quick response from Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation, based in Bellevue.

"If the chief really wants to make a contribution to the effort to keep guns out of the wrong hands, he shouldn't leave pistols lying around in his city-owned car while he and his wife are shopping," Gottlieb observed. "Somewhere out there is a 9mm Glock pistol that belongs in Kerlikowske's holster or safely stored in his home or office. Wherever it is, you can bet it doesn't belong there.

"Chief Kerlikowske is pretty quick to support gun laws that ratchet down on the rights of law-abiding citizens who are more responsible with their guns than he was with his," Gottlieb stated. "His stolen gun is more of a threat to the public, and possibly his own officers, than the overwhelming majority of handguns, rifles and shotguns owned by Washington citizens from Newport to Neah Bay."

Granted, anyone can have their gun stolen but it sure seems as if a lot of cops have lost theirs lately. Anyway, back to the PI editorial, many writers in the comments section of the newspaper are doing the heavy lifting:

Hmmmm. Did the thief who stole Chief Kerlikowske's pistol from his car in December 2004 go through a background check? --DPW

[Another:]

Let's have a five day wait for abortion. Or does that inconvenience a "perceived" civil right? As we watch often mentally out-of-control Democrats rant and hate speak, we must thank our right to bear arms.

Few Democrats speak out about criminals with guns. They often dilute gun crime punishment. However, they fear legal gun ownership. They fear it as Stalin did and Hitler did. Castro fears it. Despots worldwide fear their armed people.

We need easier access to legal gun, rifle, and assault rifle ownership, not a waiting period, period! --Spirit

[Another, in response to a comment by a gun grabber:]

"How many of you gun-nuts have every had a loaded firearm pointed at you with lethal intent?"

I have. A friend of mine and I were minding our own business when we came around a corner to face about 4 or 5 people all with loaded guns pointed at our chests. They started screaming at us and telling us what to do, still with their guns pointed at us. Then, they took our wallets, made us kiss the ground, and then began about 20 minutes of mental and emotional abuse. Then, when I decided I wasn't going to take it anymore, and I dared stand up for myself, I was shoved by one of the gun owners into a brick wall and further threatened.

It was a harrowing experience - especially for two people who had done nothing, nothing whatsoever, to prompt it.

But you know what? Something tells me that you'd be OK with those guys having guns that they can use in a threatening manner, point at totally innocent people, and use to extort information and property from us. Why?

Because they were cops.

Check it all out. There are some asinine comments from the usual lefty suspects but there are plenty of folks representing OUR point of view.

Posted by Jeff Soyer at December 16, 2005 11:31 AM