Robb: I’ll grant you that the exact quote was ambiguous on that point, but Webb’s general position on gun rights is not.

As for Thompson, the aide, how is it he wasn’t smart enough to check a bag he was carrying into a security area? Personally, I’ve worked in security areas and you always check what you are carrying. It prevents people from pointing guns at you and putting you in jail.

Straightarrow: I have no idea where you get the idea Webb thinks other citizens shouldn’t have the same right to defend themselves that he does. Did you just make that up out of whole cloth?

Bruce: You say “no special treatment” but I suspect you mean the opposite. The guy spent a night in jail and now faces felony charges for what by all accounts was an innocent, harmless error. That is special treatment.

F*** him.

That said…

Throw the book at him. No mercy.

Don’t like the law? CHANGE IT!

No special treatment. No mulligans. No forgiveness.

As someone said on another site I read recently: My giveadamn’s broken.

Thank you Senator Webb for your statement as to your opinion of the status of your fellow, though less exalted, citizens.

Out of curiosity, looking for a way around the DC Gun Law, I reread H.R.218: The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004 that permits police officers to concealed carry ‘anywhere’. Make that anywhere in any of the states or their subdivisions. The act seems not to apply to the District.

For what it’s worth, he was not charged with possessing an unregistered gun and ammo. The DC District Attorney only filed charges against unlawful concealment.

My guess is that’s the only one they can get to stick.

So he gets out of the machine gun charge too? DAMN!

My guess is that’s the only one they can get to stick.

Regarding guy’s comment on the IRS agent – DC has on jurisidictio over a federal officer. WHich is more or less the case here – DC law is about 5 rungs down on the ladder for federal employees in the course of their job. But for the attention this has recieve, I would have expected this to disappear pretty quick.

In fact, it probably still will disappear because DC has no jurisidcation on Capitol Hill (or indeed, anywhere in DC in the face of the federal government).

If Capitol POlice have it, it will probably be returned. If not, who knows (though I am SHOCKED, SHOCKED that he was turned over to DC police – I suspect it happened prior to senior officials getting wind of whats going on. Capitol POlice are 100% political. WOuldn’t be surprised if someone lost their job over this.)

Yes, each round is a seperate violation. Haven’t looked at the law recently, but my recollection is each round also carried a seperate jail term.

The reference to “members and staff” being allowed to bring guns into the Capitol almost certainly applies only to weapons actually owned by Senators and Representations. During my time in DC there were no shortage of anecdotes about staff members with the misfortune to be searched while returning their boss’s car to a Capitol garage. Once it was determined that the official owned the weapon, the issue went away.

No matter what the rules re: weapons in the Capitol complex, the minute that weapon crosses into DC, a law is broken.

As for the Capitol Police filing charges based on DC law, they have full authority to enforce local laws in their area of responsbility, essentially the Capitol complex and the surrounding area.

Last I heard, ‘undocumented’ ammo is fined at $500/round.

Thanks for the link! Got tipped to the machinegun thingie from one of your commentors.

This whole story is getting really odd now, with the inclusion that employees of members may bring guns into Congressional spaces. Seems he violated the unloaded rule (if that one is accurate) but I am not seeing how he would be charged with unlicensed ammo by the Capitol police since that sounds like a DC charge.

I believe the following is completly unrelated, but a former IRS security officer (sorry) told me that they got special carry permits from DC if part of their coverage area forced them to leave IRS space. I think they came under the “cop” category or something.

Looking forward for your sifting through all of this!