This week’s revelation by the Vancouver Columbian that a Clark County Superior Court judge has decided to carry a defensive firearm nearly everywhere but the courtroom has stirred considerable public interest.
Judge John Wulle reportedly carries a .380-caliber Walther PPK because of a threat related to a domestic violence case. That the newspaper would make something of this is curious, almost as though this is very rare. Truth be known, quite a few members of the bench carry firearms, often into the courtroom — depending upon the jurisdiction — and nobody is the wiser.
Following the alleged threat more than two weeks ago, Clark County Superior Court Judge John Wulle has started carrying a concealed .380-caliber Walther PPK most places he goes — except the courtroom. Wulle secures the gun in a locked box when he gets to work, though he still has the holster on his hip under his clothes during the day.—Vancouver Columbian
Taurus International, the firearms company, manufactures a big bore five-shot revolver chambered for .45-Colt and .410 shotshells called “The Judge.” It has spawned a family of firearms, including one dubbed “The Public Defender,” and Smith & Wesson this year unveiled its own version of such a revolver, that holds six rounds, and calls it “The Governor,” though it’s not likely anyone will find one in Christine Gregoire’s purse.
Carrying a defensive firearm is a personal choice, and a private one. That Judge Wulle has started carrying a pistol, which he has been reportedly trained to use, shouldn’t really be news at all.
No criticism of the Vancouver Columbian meant here; the newspaper reported something it considered a matter of public interest. In Washington State, nearly 346,000 citizens are licensed to carry, as this column reported. That a Clark County Superior Court judge should be among them is not that surprising.
The Columbian revelation could use some perspective. Approximately one in 20 citizens is licensed to carry here, and there is a small but growing Open Carry contingent; people who openly carry their defensive sidearms. One Open Carry activist, Nick Smith, engaged in the public response to the Columbian story, carried on an informative discussion.
Gun control advocates, and people who are simply uncomfortable around firearms, either want people disarmed or wonder why anyone should want to carry a firearm. The real issue — at least to firearms rights advocates — is why shouldn’t people carry firearms?
Police cannot be everywhere all the time. Law enforcement professionals talk about “response time,” which translates to arriving after the crime is committed. Ask the Seattle Police or King County Sheriff’s Department, and the candid answer is that there is one cop on duty for every few thousand citizens at any given time. There was a time when one Texas Ranger responded to one riot, but anyone watching the news this past week about the Occupy Seattle or Occupy Wall Street confrontations shows quite a different philosophy at work today.
Then there is Tacoma, where it was announced late this week that a lot of police officers could be laid off because the city budget is shrinking. That’s fewer cops on duty, and that may translate to even more citizens in the City of Destiny applying for concealed pistol licenses.
Tacoma sent out notices Thursday to all city unions that it faces a budget shortfall of $31 million for 2012 and that it has come up with a plan to lay off up to 165 city positions, including 56 police officers and 47 firefighters, by the end of this year, a spokesman said.—KCPQ News
If some of those citizens are judges and attorneys, it should not be surprising. Those are the people who have lots of interaction with the criminal element, and understand better than anyone why citizens might wish to be armed. This state has a solid self-defense statute, as this column noted. Among gun rights advocates, it is considered fortunate to never have to utilize it.
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