Chicago’s real problem
ROS sends us a link to a PR Newswire piece from Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) which claims that Chicago’s police superintendent Garry McCarthy disqualifies himself from being any sort of authority on the 2nd Amendment;
Appearing on a Chicago Sunday morning talk show, superintendent Garry McCarthy expressed his conviction that firearm owners who lobby their elected representatives or who donate money to political campaigns are engaged in corruption that endangers public safety. McCarthy went on to express his belief that judges and legislators should rely on public opinion polls when interpreting our Constitution.
After totally dismissing the citizen’s right to redress grievances, McCarthy trained his constitutional wisdom on the 2nd Amendment. Despite recent court decisions to the contrary, McCarthy opined that the 2nd Amendment limits citizens to owning smooth-bore muskets. McCarthy went on to say that he believes that the 2nd Amendment supports mandatory liability insurance for firearm owners and the mandatory application of GPS tracking devices to civilian owned firearms.
“Garry McCarthy’s understanding of our Constitution barely qualifies him as a meter maid, never mind the chief of the nation’s third largest police department,” commented ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson.
So all of us people who take the time to follow the laws of our respective governments to legally own guns are somehow corrupt and endanger our communities? More so than criminals, I suppose. How many people in Chicago have been killed by legal gun owners with legally purchased guns? I’m guessing but – none.
If I was the police superintendent of Chicago, I’d be looking for ways to end the infamous corruption of the city’s government and getting illegal guns off the streets rather than demonizing the folks who follow the laws, as few as they might be in that bastion of gun control.
Category: Gun Grabbing Fascists
One of the best response I’ve found on the “muskets” arguments is over here.
And in an ideal world, people like him would be out of work within 24 hours of saying something like that.
This man would have right at home in Stalinist Russia.
@2: The problem is that they don’t want to leave their stuff behind which is why they want Russia to come here.
Gary McCarthy is a Chicago machine insider. That’s the reason he got the job as police chief, not because he has any qualifications to do the job. He was hired by the current mayor.
He replaced Jody Weiss, a former FBI agent, who was hired by Mayor Daley. Weiss was not an insider.
McCarthy’s CPD is falling back into the corruption mode that existed before Weiss was hired and it is costing the city millions in lawsuits.
This idiot shouldn’t be in charge of the dog pound never mind being the chief. If anything he knew about policing actually worked Chicago would not be in the shape it’s currently inhabiting…it is more than a little disturbing he lacks a fundamental understanding of the Bill of Rights and the history surrounding it. Perhaps Chicago should test its’ chiefs on their knowledge of the writings of the people who actually authored the Constitution, that way they wouldn’t have to rely on the misguided interpretations of a pretentious 4sshole when it comes to managing that police force.
Of course in New Hampshire they held a rally to pass and AWB this weekend, even though there were only 17 murders in New Hampshire last year and there was some speculation that only one or none of them involved an “assault” style weapon.
Once again we have two separate locations having a “discussion” about gun control that are not based on any reality, instead they rely on hyperbole and incorrect assessment of known constants.
Ace had a post the other day explaining that the Illinois legislature only had so long to enact a new concealed carry law or they would become a “constitutional carry” state (i.e. one in which there would be no restrictions on carry, like Vermont, Arizona, Wyoming, etc.). According to Ace, the Republicans have said that unless they get a “shall issue” law, they will let the deadline pass and let the constitutional carry default pass. Is this why the Dems are screaming bloody murder, like McCarthy above?
If a bloody revolution ever visits the USA, some doubt that the police would turn their weapons on middle America. It appears that we have just found one who would be proud and eager to lead his ‘troops’ to do just that. What a ma-roon.
@6 – Yes, it is.
I grew up in central Illinois. The state legislature is composed of far too many people from Chicago who think that the rest of the state doesn’t matter, and that everything should be their way. Unfortunately for them, cities like Decatur, Bloomington, and Champaign are blooming and don’t like being thought of that way. I think it would be a REAL good thing if we had a governor who did not come from Chicago and had enough backing to override Chicago politicians like Dan Madigan. One of these days, that old fart is going to kick the bucket, but until that happens, we’re stuck with him. The state needs fewer districts from Chicago and more from downstate.
I have nothing against Quinn. He started the Citizens Utility Board, a watchdog group, a while back, and he’s a decent guy, but he sometimes comes off as being as thick as pancake batter.
@7 I think a lot more cops than admit it would continue to do what they are told as they do now.
That is some seriously weapons-grade stupidity on display right there.
Oh, and VOV, the idiots who were at the state house in Concord were the usual moonbat suspects. Our current crop of idiot pols (save Senator Ayotte) support restoring the AWB, but in this state that’s going to come back to haunt them badly come 2014.
@1-NRPax, that essay you linked is awesome. Everyone on this thread, if you didn’t read it, go check it out. It summed up everything I couldn’t articulate into a few concise, sharply pointed words.
And if that doesn’t hook you, the final line is about telling liberals to go commit seppuku with a chainsaw. Ah, now you knuckledraggers are interested, huh? Heh.
The oath I took over 30 years ago involves defending the Constitution. I don’t know the details of whatever, if any, oath police officers take. There are more of us htan there are of them.
Interesting times.
@1: Michael Z. Williamson is a great writer and has some awesome posts about gun control. Larry Corriea is another good writer to check out. He’s got some funny and informative gun posts on his website.
@12: Approx. 23 million of us.
OT…Woot!! 🙂
McCarthy is definitely a Chicago insider, he didn’t get his job because of competence or qualifications, it was via bribes plus who he “knew and blew”!
That link is priceless, Pax. Thanks! Best damn reading I’ve done in a while too.
@13: I’ve purchased all of Larry’s MHI books, read all the Grimnoir series and had the pleasure of meeting him last September. Good man, very friendly and a lot of fun to listen to.
As for Michael, I bought a copy of Freehold for my Kindle and enjoyed reading it.
@1NRPax, thanks for the link to that article. It was priceless.
Jonn, please keep up on this. McCarthy is the dumbest thing that ever came down the pike. I see crime taking a rapid rise, especially with the Chicago Crime Commission naming Joaquin Guzman (el Chapo), the head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, as Chicago’s Public Enemy #1. This isn’t going away.
McCarthy is not a insider from Chicago, though he is a political animal. Sorry to say he is from New York City where he went from being a uniformed officer with no great accomplishment except to pass promotion examines and become a political insider in the New York Police Department. He was even arrested and had his weapon confiscated in 2005 with the rank of captain, in New Jersey, where he is just another civilian, trying to get his daughter out of a ticket, but of course he received no real punishment from the NYPD. He left the department after serving as a Deputy Commissioner, a civilian appointee position to become police chief in Newark NJ, then Chicago got him.
One correction when he was arrested he had already became a deputy commissioner his retired civil servant rank was captain.
“McCarthy opined that the 2nd Amendment limits citizens to owning smooth-bore muskets.”
So the Constitution limits our exercise of rights to only using things which were invented at the time?
That’s like saying that the 1st Amendment limits expression of free speech to thoughts laid out on parchment with a quill.
If the 2nd Amendment doesn’t apply to AR-15s, then the 1st Amendment doesn’t apply to Internet or TV.
@1. I read his piece and I am struck by the 180 he did on EVERY major social issue. Usually, I don’t trust such people. If their convictions were closely held before, how is one to believe the newfound convictions are genuine? I don’t know the guy or his history so I’ll let it go at that.
@22 Don’t be trying to get all logical with facts and figures when discussing liberal sacred talking points. The liberals don’t like facts and figures because those facts and figures have a disturbing divergent conclusion to every sacred belief of the left. They can’t be bothered to have “honest” discussions, they only wish to discuss how they “feel” about something and not if those “feelings” have any basis in evidence whatsoever.
That’s why a ban on weapons that kill less people than hammers annually is so important to the left. It’s a meaningless piece of legislation that doesn’t change anything with respect to murder victims, it just advances a liberal agenda that takes your legal weapons from you the honest law-abiding citizenry while leaving criminals well armed and able to more easily perpetrate their crimes against an unarmed target rich victim class.
@23: I’m not sure it was a 180 as much as it was his anger at a bunch of ungrateful folks who chose to attack him based on his owning of guns.
best argument I know on the ‘smoothbore musket’ theory is that the 2nd specifies a “well regulated militia:” which menat “well trained and equipped”… implying that their weaponry should be equivalent to what the Army uses. Sounds to me like AR-15s should be mandatory, not demonized.
From an article about the gun control debate:
‘“The fact is, guns are illegal to possess in Mexico,” McCaul said, “and that certainly hasn’t had any effects on the drug cartels.”’
Here’s a link to the article: http://www.texastribune.org/2013/01/20/will-new-gun-laws-curb-weapons-smuggling-mexico/
Seriously, Texas, Wyoming, and others are looking more attractive all the time. Why these timid souls can’t get their heads around this is beyond me, but they also let their children run around like maniacs in restaurants and heat stuff up in the microwave and call that cooking, so I don’t know why I’m surprised that they don’t get the connection between criminals and guns.
Texas only looks more attractive if you ignore the fact that it’s technically occupied Mexico and slowly being overrun with drug-trafficking illegals.
@ 28: ROS, not occupied Mexico. Captured FROM Mexico.They signed it over as part of the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to end the war.
If they could’ve defended it, it would still belong to them. But they couldn’t…..so…. it doesn’t.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_guadalupe_hidalgo
The Dems control all of Colorado state government and we are about to be slapped with a bunch of new gun restrictions. Here’s what one of them thinks about Magpul leaving the state if the bills pass:
State Rep. Rhonda Fields (D-Aurora) insisted that the amendment was a reasonable accommodation for businesses.
“I want our government to have access to high capacity clips. I want them to have the type of weaponry that’s needed to defend our country,” said Fields. “So it’s not being hypocritical. It’s about the safety of our nation.”
Clearly someone who hasn’t read and doesn’t understand the Constitution.
Here’s a little update on the progress of a CCW law for Illinois.
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local/illinois&id=9002745
This ought to put McCarthy’s and Rahmbo’s shorts in a wedgie.