3.27.2007

What an Idiot

Other than my introduction, the first thing I wrote about on this blog was some Virginia legislator moron who shot his pistol off in the Virginia General Assembly Building. Why for the love of God would you need a gun inside a government office? Those offices are, like, the safest places on Earth.

The title of that post was "Never forget that Virginia borders Kentucky." I was taking a cheap shot at Virginia rednecks. Well now we all know what happened yesterday to Senator Jim Webb (D-VA). Webb's electoral triumph last year was due in large part to sweeping victories throughout Northern Virginia. In other words, the part of the commonwealth that's supposed to have its shit together. Apparently the guy that they (and, admittedly I) supported is not much better than the Republican yahoos who carry in the Richmond buildings for "protection."

Let me be perfectly clear. There is no reason to hold a loaded weapon in the United States Capitol. Getting a gun into that building, or any of the adjacent office buildings, is about impossible. Yeah, there was that 1998 shooting, but the psycho who started shooting didn't even get past the door. Terrorism remains a larger threat, but if Jim Webb thinks he can take down a hijacked 737 with a handgun, he is sorely mistaken. That gun is useless. All it can do is cause problems. At best it will make his interns and guests uncomfortable. At worst there's an oopsie that puts lives at risk.

Of course with Virginia being Virginia, this is probably good publicity for Senator Webb. I, on the other hand, see this snafu for what it is: an embarrassment to the Senate and the Democratic Party. Putting Washington's interns at risk may seem like a good idea, but total chaos and legislative ruin is just a shot away.

*Credit goes to Wonkette for breaking this story first.

21 comments:

  1. To be fair, Webb wasn't trying to bring a gun into the Capitol--he gave it to a staffer before getting on a plane, and the staffer apparently forgot it was in his bag when he went back to the office. Of course, the broader question of what in the hell the Senator was doing driving around with a loaded handgun in the first place remains unanswered.

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  2. That is the funniest disturbing story I've heard in a while. Unfortunately, I don't expect politicians to have common sense anymore; to the contrary, I expect even the most reputable and distinguished representatives to make egregious errors and to publicly humiliate themselves on a regular basis. What a joke...

    As always Rusty, it was a pleasure...

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  3. What a shame... I agree with you 95% of the time, but have to take the Senator's side on this. Being from South Dakota, I think it's pretty ridiculous that in D.C. only the criminals can have guns. And, as a public official, the Senator is much more at risk to individual assault than the public at large. The staffer carrying the gun into the Capitol was an oversight, and will undoubtedly win the Senator accolades in Virginia.

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  4. I am against the DC handgun ban as well. However, there is an appropriate place for weaponry and the Capitol and its adjacent offices isn't one of them.

    Furthermore, no matter how silly, I expect legislators to obey the law. Webb failed to do that.

    ~Rusty

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  5. "legislative ruin is just a shot away"

    Nice, Rusty. Good one.

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  6. Guns. They suck, plain and simple. Oh and South Dakota, stay in South Dakota. Do not attempt to tell me why a DC resident needs a gun.

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  7. From what we know, Webb didn’t do anything illegal (or even stupid) in this instance. He gave the gun to an aide at the airport. As far as I can tell, there aren't any airports in the district. According to a quote in the Post: “Another source said that Webb's gun was in a briefcase that was supposed to be dropped off at a location in Virginia before Thompson came into the District.” It may very well be that Webb carries the gun while in VA, and leaves it at home or the office when he goes into the city. There’s no evidence he has ever done anything contrary.

    The Post story suggests (but doesn't really explain) that members of Congress are allowed to bring secured, unloaded guns to the Captiol,

    This may very well just be a case of an aide pulling a boner. Not a big deal, really.

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  8. Tell me, what IS the point of having a "secured, unloaded gun" anywhere.....really?

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  9. "I expect legislators to obey the law. Webb failed to do that."

    Yet again, way to completely miss the point, Rusty. An earlier poster already called you out on the facts you didn't care to add to your post.

    You may not like Webb and that's your right.

    But who are you to call him a criminal when your facts are wrong?

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  10. Well, J made that point after the statement you're quoting. Regardless, a handgun and two clips of ammo is quite illegal in Washington. Even if Webb himself never took the gun into DC, it's his weapon and therefore his responsiblity.

    ~Rusty

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  11. According to the Wikipedia article about the 98 shooting you linked, the shooter got into Tom Delay's office before Detective Gibson shot him. So you see Rusty he got past the front entrance and into Delay's office....although Delay was probably packing anyways so it would've been a moot point.

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  12. God damn it, you people expect me to be accurate about these things!? My bad.

    By the way, every desk in Congressional offices is supposed to have a little button that you can press three times for emergency help. That sounds like fun.

    ~Rusty

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  13. You never know when Charlie's gonna strike. He's always out there in the shit, watching you, waiting...

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  14. You don't need medical insurance until you get injured. While medical insurance will never injure you, a gun properly carried and respected won't either.

    I won't need a gun until one of the guys drinkin' a tallboy at the bus stop on Bladensburg in NE pulls one on me. A gun he won't have legally, mind you, but that'll be little consolation to those who will miss me, won't it?

    The reality is that bad people in this country have guns and it is good people with guns who sometimes are forced to stop them. Irrational fear of a fire-arm is no excuse to dismiss the logic of carrying one for protection in a real world where one faces the danger everyday.

    The fire-arm you face when you attack thestranger will always be a dis-incentive to attack in the first place.

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  15. I'm sure that "the guys drinkin' a tallboy at the bus stop on Bladensburg in NE" are only carrying to protect themselves from the 'necks and paranoid gun nuts in the NRA parking lot in Fairfax.

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  16. Your VirginiasuckssomuchohmygodI'msocoolforthinkingthat crap is getting old. And sad.
    This was obviously a mistake. Did Webb say that he needed protection in the Capitol? No. Was Webb even the guy carrying the gun? No. Is Thompson stupid? Yes. But come on!

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  17. "I'm sure that "the guys drinkin' a tallboy at the bus stop on Bladensburg in NE" are only carrying to protect themselves from the 'necks and paranoid gun nuts in the NRA parking lot in Fairfax."

    So, I'd like to know....how does it feel to be completely delusional? Please explain.

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  18. Anonymous,

    I agree with the anti-Fairfax nuts. They're the ones most likely to be carrying. And the NRA keeps pushing for shoot first, ask questions later laws that will make it much easier to kill for purposes of "self-defense." The NRA whackjobs scare me more than someone drinking a tallboy.

    ~Rusty

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  19. The NRA wackos won't shoot you for inadvertently gritting on them, or glancing at them when you're not supposed to. They're also easy to avoid. I basically live in Northeast, so I'm more concerned with the people who are viewing me as a possible robbery target.

    But hey, it's all relative.....if you hang out at Reston Town Center, I can see why you'd be concerned.

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  20. A small correction on the 1998 shooting involving Russell Weston Jr. in the U.S. Capitol. He did actually enter the building, including a Republican leadership office, and shot and killed two police officers in the process. He's in a federal hospital for prisoners, since he's been found unfit to stand trial.

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  21. Ha ha hah, you're still here whining about how teh stupid Viginia is? What... what's that.. someone's calling? Oh, who is it?

    Voting rights, bitch!

    Disappear scumbag!

    Keep talking trash about Jim Webb Rusty. As Wonkette has noted many times, he'll come to your house and when you answer the door he'll punch you in the face.

    Long Live the Commonwealth,
    Angry (Ex) DC F#@k

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