Just As I Thought

Safer in America

I can’t quite understand the right wing (well, that’s the understatement of the year, isn’t it?).
They use terrorism as their big issue, trumpeting how concerned they are for our safety. Then they turn around and deregulate guns, including assault weapons. In the conservative world, everyone can carry AK47s… but they’re not allowed to carry, say, nail clippers.
Now, take a look at this story and tell me if this isn’t scary. If you had been there, wouldn’t your first thought have been that you were under a terrorist attack?

It seemed simple enough. Falls Church officials recently drafted a policy that would require city workers to call 911 immediately if anyone stepped onto city property carrying a gun. Police who responded would check to see if the gun was properly licensed and report their findings to city officials.

With all seven council members and many residents of this little city inside the Capital Beltway firmly in the anti-gun camp, only a few officials expected any problems with the procedures.

Think again. If the intent was to discourage gun-toting in the city, the effort has backfired.

About 30 people, pistols strapped to their hips, strode into the council’s meeting this week protesting the policy and warning that it violates their constitutional right to bear arms — and possibly state laws, as well.

… The presence of so many pistol-packing citizens at Monday’s meeting unnerved council members and, in particular, infuriated council member David Snyder, who denounced their brazen display of firearms as “intimidation” and attacked Virginia’s recently enacted laws that limit local control over guns.

“It’s particularly ironic that everyone on the state, federal and local levels are concerned about gang violence, and yet Virginia prevents local communities from acting against that very violence when guns are potentially involved,” he said in an interview.

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