The code has been cracked about why Democrats are known as “the party of gun control” because of a weekend incident in Nevada that demonstrates why they believe in strict gun regulations: they evidently believe everyone behaves as poorly as they do with firearms.
On Saturday — ironically “Gun Appreciation Day” as millions of Americans attended rallies, gun shows and other events in Washington and across the country — Nevada Democratic Assemblyman Steven Brooks, 40, was jailed after allegedly threatening the state’s Speaker-elect Marilyn Kirkpatrick. The story is getting wide attention, because Brooks, of North Las Vegas, allegedly threatened to shoot his colleague and when he was taken into custody during a traffic stop, he had a loaded gun.
Published accounts say there is witness corroboration to the alleged threat, which may be linked to Brooks’ frustration at being passed over for an important committee chairmanship.
Brooks is not the only Democrat to demonstrate irresponsible behavior with a firearm recently. Recall Illinois State Senator Donne Trotter from Chicago’s South Side. He was arrested at O’Hare International Airport trying to board an airplane with a semi-automatic pistol in his carry-on bag.
If there is a push to disarm anyone, Democrats should be first in line, based on the behavior of these two politicians. After chatting with various people attending Saturday’s gun rights rally in Olympia and the big gun show at the Puyallup fairgrounds, one gets the impression that those folks believe anyone who voted for a Democrat in November ought to turn in their guns, too.
Is that proposal outrageous, even if presented tongue-in-cheek? Democrats, including newly-sworn Washington State Governor Jay Inslee and President Barack Obama, want to ban so-called “assault weapons” — owned by millions of American citizens — because a few people have horribly misused rifles they obtained.
The same broad-brush standard should apply to Democrats as they would apply to millions of their law-abiding constituents.
Over the weekend at Puyallup, thousands of people streamed into the Washington Arms Collectors’ monthly gun show. The building was full of firearms, ammunition and accessories, and nobody was hurt. In Olympia, more than 2,000 people attended the Gun Appreciation Day rally fully armed, and the worst that happened was they all got very cold.
Anti-gun Democrats may need to do a bit of soul searching before they push any harder to clamp down on the firearms rights of their fellow citizens. Saturday’s turnout at pro-gun events around the country proved gun owners are ready to push back.
Suggested reading:
David Codrea
Kurt Hofmann
Jennifer Cruz
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