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This article speaks for itself. I know everybody hates politicians, but even they deserve their second amendment rights. Maybe if they had guns they wouldn't have to be forced to suffer under government healthcare, and would be able to have the patient-insurence company relationships that the rest of us enjoy.
Isn't it time to dismantle the metal detectors, send the guards at the doors away and allow Americans to exercise their Second Amendment rights by being free to carry their firearms into the nation's Capitol building?
...Why would freedom-loving lawmakers want to hide behind...metal detectors? Shouldn't NRA members be outraged that Second Amendment rights mean nothing in the seat of our democracy?
Congress seems to think that gun restrictions are for wimps. It voted earlier this year to allow people to bring their weapons into national parks, and pro-gun legislators have pushed for the right to carry in taverns, colleges and workplaces. Shouldn't Congress set an example in its own workplace?
So why not let Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., pack a weapon on the Senate floor? Thune is the author of an amendment that would have allowed gun owners who had valid permits to carry concealed weapons into any state, even states with more restrictive gun laws. The amendment got 58 votes last week, two short of the 60 it needed to pass.
Judging by what Thune said, he'd clearly feel safer if everyone in the Capitol could carry a gun. ``Law-abiding individuals have the right to self-defense, especially because the Supreme Court has consistently found that police have no constitutional obligation to protect individuals from other individuals,'' he said. I guess Thune doesn't think those guards and the Capitol Police have any obligation to protect him.
He went on: ``The benefits of conceal and carry extend to more than just the individuals who actually carry the firearms. Since criminals are unable to tell who is and who is not carrying a firearm just by looking at a potential victim, they are less likely to commit a crime when they fear they may come in direct contact with an individual who is armed.''
In other words, keeping guns out of the Capitol makes all our elected officials far less safe. If just a few senators had weapons, the criminals wouldn't know which ones were armed, and all senators would be safer, right? Isn't that better than highly intrusive gun control -- i.e., keeping people with guns out of the Capitol in the first place?
``Additionally,'' Thune said helpfully, ``research shows that when unrestricted conceal and carry laws are passed, not only does it benefit those who are armed, but it also benefits others around them such as children.''
This is a fantastic opportunity. Arming all our legislators would make it safer for children, so senators could feel much more secure bringing their kids into the Capitol. This would promote family values and might even reduce the number of extramarital affairs.
During the debate, Sen. David Vitter, R-La., quoted a constituent who told him: ``When my family and I go out at night, it makes me feel safer just knowing I am able to have my concealed weapon.''
Why shouldn't Vitter feel equally safe in the Capitol? Why should he have to go out on the streets to carry a gun?
The pro-gun folks love their studies. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., offered this one: ``A study for the Department of Justice found 40 percent of felons had not committed certain crimes because they feared the potential victims would be armed.''
That doesn't tell us much about the other 60 percent, but what the heck? If it's good enough for Barrasso, let the good senator introduce the amendment to allow concealed carry in the Capitol.
...Why would freedom-loving lawmakers want to hide behind...metal detectors? Shouldn't NRA members be outraged that Second Amendment rights mean nothing in the seat of our democracy?
Congress seems to think that gun restrictions are for wimps. It voted earlier this year to allow people to bring their weapons into national parks, and pro-gun legislators have pushed for the right to carry in taverns, colleges and workplaces. Shouldn't Congress set an example in its own workplace?
So why not let Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., pack a weapon on the Senate floor? Thune is the author of an amendment that would have allowed gun owners who had valid permits to carry concealed weapons into any state, even states with more restrictive gun laws. The amendment got 58 votes last week, two short of the 60 it needed to pass.
Judging by what Thune said, he'd clearly feel safer if everyone in the Capitol could carry a gun. ``Law-abiding individuals have the right to self-defense, especially because the Supreme Court has consistently found that police have no constitutional obligation to protect individuals from other individuals,'' he said. I guess Thune doesn't think those guards and the Capitol Police have any obligation to protect him.
He went on: ``The benefits of conceal and carry extend to more than just the individuals who actually carry the firearms. Since criminals are unable to tell who is and who is not carrying a firearm just by looking at a potential victim, they are less likely to commit a crime when they fear they may come in direct contact with an individual who is armed.''
In other words, keeping guns out of the Capitol makes all our elected officials far less safe. If just a few senators had weapons, the criminals wouldn't know which ones were armed, and all senators would be safer, right? Isn't that better than highly intrusive gun control -- i.e., keeping people with guns out of the Capitol in the first place?
``Additionally,'' Thune said helpfully, ``research shows that when unrestricted conceal and carry laws are passed, not only does it benefit those who are armed, but it also benefits others around them such as children.''
This is a fantastic opportunity. Arming all our legislators would make it safer for children, so senators could feel much more secure bringing their kids into the Capitol. This would promote family values and might even reduce the number of extramarital affairs.
During the debate, Sen. David Vitter, R-La., quoted a constituent who told him: ``When my family and I go out at night, it makes me feel safer just knowing I am able to have my concealed weapon.''
Why shouldn't Vitter feel equally safe in the Capitol? Why should he have to go out on the streets to carry a gun?
The pro-gun folks love their studies. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., offered this one: ``A study for the Department of Justice found 40 percent of felons had not committed certain crimes because they feared the potential victims would be armed.''
That doesn't tell us much about the other 60 percent, but what the heck? If it's good enough for Barrasso, let the good senator introduce the amendment to allow concealed carry in the Capitol.
after police say he pulled a handgun on a resident whose home he told police he was photographing as part of a foreclosure investigation.
, police say. McAffee is a member of the Ada County Republican Central Committee
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