Let The Hand-Wringing Begin!

With the Heller decision not even yet released, the cringing nanny-ninnies are already goin' all fluttery over it. To wit (or witless?), Atlanta's Mayor along Shirley's little helpers, a cinquefecta of trembling Mayors; and not only from way out Left in Trenton, New Mobsey and PSHan Francisco but even Miami. Wha hop'? Did the Mayor there miss what happened in the Sunshine State after legal carry was made easier or does he just not care? (From Jacob, who aptly fisks the whole notion with special, not-to-be-missed attention to New York's laws, via Sebastian).

The guest editorial in question has got it all, from the specious implication that the Supremes have previously held the Second Amendment to not be an individual right to unproven assertions of a linkage between restrictive firearms laws and reduction in violent crime. (By that yardstick, Chicago should have far less crime than Indianapolis; in fact, the Windy City usually beats us for criminality even if we leave the denizens of the respective City Halls* out of the stats). She even gives us "community leaders" as The Great Benign Father Here To Lead The Ignert Savages To Civilisation, a meme I thought died moaning as the sun set on the empires of the 19th Century. Really, if she'd managed to blow a kiss to Che, Hugo or Fidel, the bouquet would be complete.

As if to prove irony is fireproof, Mayor Franklin cites a shooting (of The Children, 'cos that's even more heart-wrenchingly useful to her ends) in Chicago to "prove" her point about unregulated handguns being bad. Unpossible! Handguns are already prohibited there and long guns harshly restricted. And it didn't help. Those disallowed the means to defend themselves died of it at the hands of baddies who ignored the law. Gee, criminals unconcerned about adding one more crime to their tab, who would have thunk it?

Then the high price of crime is put in play. Hmpf. Memo to Ms. Franklin: If you're so all-fired concerned about the budgetary impact of violent crime (another of her crying points), you would do well to remember that legally-armed citizens thwart a huge number of crimes every year at no cost to any taxpayer but themselves. Hows that for a win-win? Conversely, if you abet malefactors by disarming the law-abiding, you are making the problem worse and enlarging the victim pool.

We really should adopt some sort of intelligence and critical reasoning skill test as a prerequisite to holding public office. It would put a whoooooole lotta "Benign" Great Leaders outta work. Benign, benighted, potato, potahtoe. Most of them would do their finest public service picking up litter.
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* Actually the City-County Building here after they melted City and County Gummits together for streamlined irksomeness.