A shooting occurred Friday night at Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans. Richard White, a taxi driver, sprayed a TSA agent and bystanders with wasp spray, then attacked the TSA agent with a machete. A police officer quickly responded by shooting White three times in the leg, chest and face. White is not expected to survive. Bystanders and TSA agents only suffered mild injuries. This goes to show you that even if you take away the guns, the real bad guys will still do bad things. And when that happens, I want a gun in my hand.
A former Maryland State Police officer testified last week before the Maryland State Senate. This was the man who decided what a “good and substantial” reason to carry a firearm was in a “may issue” state. Jack McCauley used to fear the Second Amendment activists, but now, he advocates for some of the same causes. [Video clip 2:39-2:51]. McCauley goes on to cite the facts: 11million handgun permits in the US. A 10 year study was done on 2.5 of those 11 million, and of those 2.5 million, only 168 lost their licenses. Of those, almost all of them were for accidentally carrying a handgun into a gun-free zone. That’s three thousandths of a percent, and what’s more is police officers were more likely to break the law with their handguns. McCauley testified in favor of a bill that would list self-defense as a valid reason to issue a CHL in Maryland because the current definition of the law is unclear to citizens and enforcement officers.
An anti-gun journalist suggested that all guns be vaporized, specifically the white men’s guns. Included in that tweet is a link to an article about a white supremacist criminal. Grimes also made a point that she’s married to a white man, which prevents her from being racist. I want to know how the gun issue got racialized. Race and guns are two very important, very separate issues in this country. Gun crimes are committed by all types of people – trying to charge this conversation with a racial element, especially in such a tacky way, is irresponsible.
A retired pastor has taken on a new crusade: Taking your guns away. Traveling Pastor James Atwood has called for a national focus on the spiritual implications of gun violence. What Atwood failed to mention is that he is a board member for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. He was also involved heavily with Heeding God’s Call, another anti-gun organization. It seems Pastor Atwood should be the target of a crusade himself: separation of church and state – you know, one of the pillars of our free society?
Eric Puryear, a local Iowa attorney, has incentivized carrying weapons for his employees. He offers a $50 per month bonus for employees who choose to carry handguns to work. Puryear does not force any of his employees to carry, but he does want to encourage our constitutional right to carry.