Our man Martin Albright (amongst others) called it: gun control advocates are responding to liberalized concealed carry laws by encouraging private businesses to ban guns from their premises. Their ultimate goal: to make it so inconvenient to carry that no one will bother. Only there’s been a backlash in Texas and other states, where gun owners have boycotted businesses that ban gun-bearing patrons. Well, fair enough. But when a police chief on the public payroll sends out 300 business stickers saying “NOTICE – NO WEAPONS ALLOWED” in capital letters, with an image of a handgun covered by a circle with a line drawn through it, someone somewhere should be extremely pissed. We take you now to Marion Iowa via desmoinesregister.com . . .
“I am enclosing, at no charge to you, two stickers that I would like displayed boldly on your business entries,” Marion Police Chief Harry Daugherty [above] wrote in a letter to 300 private businesses. “Although it is not mandated, I strongly encourage you to ban weapons from your premises as it will make both our jobs easier.”
. . .
Daugherty said Monday: “[Gun rights groups] have a right to their opinion, but my way of thinking is a little different. The more guns you have out in the streets, the more chances of an accident happening.
“It’s just common sense. They’re getting handled by more people, so the percentage of accidents has to go up. They just can’t go down.”
Daugherty pointed out that the new permit law requires a training course, but it doesn’t require Iowans to prove they’re proficient in handling a gun.
“All these people are getting these weapons, and they may not know how to load them,” he said.
Daugherty said the money for the 600 stickers came not from tax dollars, but from the police department’s asset forfeiture account, which contains drug money seized at crime scenes.
Accidents? He’s kidding right? Here’s a link to Iowa’s death stats. In 2006, Iowa was home to five accidental deaths due to firearms. With one exception, that number has remained in single digits since 1993. Do I need to tell you the number of vehicular fatalities in ’06? That would be 1210.
Besides, WTF business does the chief of police have working to subvert the intent of the law? Anyone who believes in individual gun rights who thinks cops are on their side may wish to contemplate the wider implications of this story. Or not.
Robert Farago is the Publisher and Managing Editor of The Truth About Guns (TTAG). He started the site to explore the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun (yes fun) of guns.