RKBA is a DKos group of second amendment supporters who also have progressive and liberal values. We don't think that being a liberal means one has to be anti-gun. Some of us are extreme in our second amendment views (no licensing, no restrictions on small arms) and some of us are more moderate (licensing, restrictions on small arms.) Moderate or extreme, we hold one common belief: more gun control equals lost elections. We don't want a repeat of 1994. We are an inclusive group: if you see the Second Amendment as safeguarding our right to keep and bear arms individually, then come join us in our conversation. If you are against the right to keep and bear arms, come join our conversation. We look forward to seeing you, as long as you engage in a civil discussion. RKBA stands for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
Tom Seaview:
The sitting local District Attorney, Jerry Moore, just left my folks’ house here in Oklahoma, and I had a chance to chat with him about the RKBA.
Mr. Moore is a Democrat, up for re-election this year. I introduced myself like this:
"I’m not a Democrat, I’m a liberal: Democrats have to go to meetings, and I don’t envy you yours."
From that, I think he expected me to have a different position on the RKBA when I brought it up.
I acknowledged that he is charged with enforcing the laws as others write them, so his opinion should not affect his duty on this or other subjects. He did not dispute my opinion that law-abiding gun owners will obey any law he is charged to enforce, and that criminals usually choose not obey any of them. (I shall not declare, and possibly misinterpret or misquote, his opinion in this or any other public forum).
He did say that there are few in either party here in eastern Oklahoma who do not support the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
He may not win re-election this year: most folks in this area are expected to vote the straight Republican ticket. That’s a shame: Jerry Moore is smart, decent and honest. I liked him.
(both links go here: link I friended him under my "real" name, which means I really was impressed).
From OMwordTHRUdaFOG:
Police Officer charged in Spree Shooting
Police in Illinois announced they captured the gunman who allegedly shot three people, killing one and injuring two, and sparked a two day manhunt. Police officer Brian Dorian, 37, is the suspect described by authorities as disheveled and mentally unbalanced.Brian Dorian had been on medical leave for approximately one year due to an injured shoulder. He was captured late Thursday evening after going on the shooting rampage which spanned two states: Illinois and Indiana. The news that Brian Dorian is a police officer has rattled the community and shocked residents.
OPPS, Turns out he's Innocent
Well that didn't take.. too.. long.
With Will the real gunman in a pair of shootings on the Illinois-Indiana border still on the loose PLEASE STAND UP? prosecutors faced questions about their handling of an investigation that led to the arrest of a small-town police officer they now say couldn't have committed the crimes.
EVIDENCE ?
Chuck Pelkie, spokesman for Glasgow's office, said a witness had identified Dorian as the shooter and Dorian's vehicle matched the gunman's.
Ballistics? Gun recovered? Who the fuck knows cares?
But Pelkie said new evidence shows Dorian was on his computer until 11 a.m. the day of the shootings. The first shooting happened at 10:30 a.m. at a work site in Illinois. Ballistics from the gun in both shootings matched, meaning Dorian could not have been involved in the later one, Pelkie said.
Will County authorities have faced scrutiny before for their handling of high-profile cases, including the investigation into the 2004 death of Kathleen Savio, the third wife of former suburban Chicago police officer Drew Peterson.
They also have faced criticism for the investigation into the death of 3-year-old Riley Fox, whose father spent eight months in jail on charges of first-degree murder and sexual assault in the Wilmington girl's drowning before DNA evidence showed he wasn't the killer.
Earlier this year, convicted sex offender Scott Eby was charged with first-degree murder and predatory criminal sexual assault in that case. Investigators were criticized for missing early clues, such as a pair of Eby's shoes left near the crime scene that had his name written inside them.
Well at least no innocent people were executed...
Shadan7:
I'd like to propose a new regular feature for our Thursday diaries: Egregious Insult of the Week. I think that it'd be fun to post favorite comments (or parts thereof) from any RKBA discussions of the previous week. To kick this off, I offer this classic (link):
"Now, the fact that their are hoards of men who feel any attempt to "take away" (ie: regulate) their Smith and Wesson Steel Penis Surrogates is a plot by Feminazis to cut off their pathetically small Wedding Tackle doesn't mean that national handgun policy ought to be driven by the castration fears of an extremely small minority, and the much larger minority that thinks the peanut-pricks "just might have a point" -- or something."
Remember, one measure of how successful we are is just how crazy we make the opposition! Be sure to collect and post your favorite insults from antis!
Tom Seaview again:
Well, my seven year no-ticket streak, which included not being stopped by the police for the entire 5 years I've been carrying a concealed firearm, had to end sometime.
I was driving my old Ford Police Interceptor a tad too quickly on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I saw the other Police Interceptor just a bit too late, well tucked in to a rest area, and he started rolling before I even passed his hiding place.
So, I got to test all the sage advice I’ve given to other people. I moved to the right and slowed down. He followed me to an area where the shoulder was very wide before he turned on his lights (I wasn't the only "customer" being "served" in that area). I pulled over and stopped, opened the windows on both sides of the car, shut my engine off, and waited with my hands clamped to the top of the steering wheel.
I was alone in the car. My registration & insurance card were sticking out of the dashboard under the stereo (with photocopies of my DE CCDW permit & my PA License to Carry Firearms). My wallet was on the passenger's seat.
He came to the passenger's window. I said, "Good morning, sir."
"Good morning. I am Trooper S________ of the Pennsylvania State Police Highway Patrol. We are recording video and audio of this interaction today. May I see your license, registration, and proof of insurance, please?"
"Yes, sir." I separated the registration & insurance card from the permit copies, and handed the former to him (without the permit copies), saying "Here's the registration and insurance. My wallet is right here." I pointed down at it, opened it, and gave him my PA LTCF first, explaining "I should probably hand you this right away," and then I gave him my Delaware driver's license.
He examined my LTCF, comparing it to my driver’s license, took a good look at my Ford Police Interceptor (with standard rubber carpeting, and microphone clips still screwed to the dashboard), and asked me, "Where do you work?"
He clearly thought I was with some police or government agency.
"Uh, nowhere, sir. I fix PCs. I'm a civilian."
"I see. Do you have a weapon on you?"
I replied, "Yes, sir... that's why my hands are clamped to the steering wheel, and all my papers are in plain sight."
"That's helpful, Mr. Seaview. Is that your weapon, in the black case?"
"Yes, sir." It was in its Safepacker on my right hip, firmly strapped down under the lap & shoulder belt as well.
He handed my LTCF back in through the window; I returned it to my wallet.
"Well, I pulled you over for speeding..." He trailed off, obviously expecting a reply.
"Yes, sir, I figured that... that's why I pulled over as soon as you shifted into drive."
That seemed to satisfy him; he took my documents back to his car for five to seven minutes. I sat still, with my hands on top of the steering wheel the entire time.
He came back to the passenger's window again. "Here are your documents back, sir. The radar indicated that your speed was 83 miles per hour in a 65 mile zone, but I cited you for 72 miles per hour, which results in the minimum fine. Here is your citation." It was nicely printed on thermal fax paper, with a coupon to cut off and mail in with payment. "You need to respond to the court within ten days, sir."
I said, "I shall respond immediately. That was kind of you, sir. Thank you."
"Drive safely, Mr. Seaview."
"You too, sir. Thanks again."
As I write this, it’s 3 AM CDT in Fenton, MO. I just took a 4 hour nap after a fourteen hour, 900 mile drive, so my thoughts may not be at their most profound or even sensible, but these are my initial impressions of my law enforcement experience:
--I should have been driving more slowly. (Duh). If I had kept it under 80, I doubt he would have stopped me at all.
--Having all my papers in plain sight, and handing the officer my carry permit right away so he would know I was carrying, turned out to be a very good plan. In fact, I recommend that everyone who reads this, even if you don’t own or carry a gun, prepare your travel documents so they can be retrieved for a police officer without taking your hands out of his sight. Police officers are at risk every time they walk up to a stranger’s car. They know that the next traffic stop might be their last... let them know that you are not a threat, and they’ll thank you for it.
--Keeping my hands on the wheel (and thus away from my gun) also helped a lot.
--The trooper treated me the way we would hope to be treated: he tacitly acknowledged my right to keep and bear arms by simply verifying the location of my concealed weapon and then paying it no further attention. He didn't call for backup or draw his weapon, both of which seemed like reasonable alternative responses to me. He didn't ask me to get out of the car, or to give him the firearm. (I would have done either, or both, without complaint... but he just let me keep my gun in my holster, possibly because he could see I was not going to put my hands anywhere near it).
--My mother was right (as always). She taught me that the policeman’s name is "Sir" or "Ma’am," and that they don’t get much respect... so they like it when they do get it.
All in all, I wasn't treated like a criminal. I was treated with respect. Of course I'm not glad I got a $129 speeding ticket, but I'm glad I got it from Trooper S_________.