Please, Mr. Representative! Stay Back at Least 1,000 Feet!

Representative Peter King (R-NY) is concerned about his personal safety, given the recent shooting in Tucson that left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords so grievously injured and six lesser lights, at least in Rep. King's eyes, dead. He suggestions a solution: that "high profile government officials," be encircled 24/7 by a protective bubble within which no citizen could lawfully possess a firearm.

I can appreciate Rep. King's concern for his personal safety and that of his colleagues. At some level and at some times the same concerns attach to even the most humble of us.

However, there is a simpler way for Rep. King to reap whatever benefit he sees from such a 1,000 foot restriction, one that inconveniences far fewer people and steps on no constitutional toes at all.

I suggest that Mr. King revise the focal point of his bill. Rather than limiting gun owners, on whom large segments of society depend for safety whether they know it or not, Mr. King should restrict the activities of the protectees, high profile government officials such as himself. The inconvenience would affect a much smaller group, just a few hundred or thousand or million, whatever he wants to define as "high profile." To protect himself, or at least his feelings of security, Mr. King and the other members of this elite club would be required by his law to stay away from any citizens either carrying, or who might reasonably be thought to possibly be carrying, firearms.

That way, everyone's happy. Mr. King has his bubble and society has its citizen protectors.

Stumping the FBI?

There was a time, I guess, when the FBI really was a premier investigatory agency. Back when Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. was the agent of the week, every week, on Sunday night. While those days may be long gone, killed by the deadening weight of bureaucracy piled onto political correctness, it remains unfair to blame the Bureau for the superficial and misleading reporting that accompanied the release of the annual crime figures.

The FBI puts out the numbers, the newspinners spin.

The release this week of the FBI's Crime in the United States 2009 proves the point Evan Perez reported in The Wall Street Journal  (paper edition only)

The number of violent crimes reported in 2009 declined for the third-consecutive (sic) year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported, with law-enforcement officials crediting better policing despite cutbacks caused by the weak economy.

Let's leave aside for the moment the police industry's self serving claims

Policing experts attribute lower (crime) rates to a number of factors, from imporved policing tactics to demographic trends.

Even less credible, from the same article

Attorney General Eric Holder said the more than $4 billion the Obama administration steered toward law enforcement in the 2009 economic-stimulus legislation 'helped maintain public safety and encourage new criminal-justice innovations.

I think the Obama administration does deserve some of the credit. After all, it was immeidately after Obama's election that gun sales went through the roof and ammunition sold so rapidly that stores couldn't keep a stock.

In 2009, politically-anxious Americans bought 14 million new guns and 14 billion rounds of ammunition, great motivation for a break from crime.

Proving for the umpteenth time, More guns, less crime.


It's undoubtedly the single best accomplishment of the Obama group. I wonder if they'll claim credit?

As Car Bombs Become Prevalent in America

As car bombs become the weapons of choice in America, perhaps we should insist that cars be registered and their owners licensed.
Oh, wait...