Rep. Peter King (R-NY) wants to make it a crime to carry a weapon within 1000 feet of federal officials at public events.  Let’s examine the logic of this idea, (and meanwhile, consider that criminals don’t give a shit about following the law or they wouldn’t be criminals.)  The people carrying guns openly at the Gabrielle Giffords event were NOT shooting.  A crazy lunatic ran into the crowd.  So given the overwhelming fact that crazies run into crowds shooting, disarming the public is the best idea?  This kind of thinking breeds a ‘chilling effect’ of people not attending events because they can’t protect themselves.  How many of you have stopped flying since TSA has started the ‘grope and scan’ dance?

King: Ban weapons near federal officials attending public events

The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee wants to ban people from carrying weapons within 1,000 feet of federal officials at public events.

Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) said he would propose a bill in the coming weeks that would ban the carrying of guns within that range for the president, vice president, members of Congress and federal judges.

In his speech, King said the legislation was not only for the safety of government officials but also to protect the public. He said elected officials are not necessarily more important than the public but by protecting them in this way, the public would feel safer in meeting federal officials at public events.

How ass-backwards is that thinking?  Let’s protect the public by disarming them and removing any choice they might have?  I know for a fact that when I lived in Arizona, went to my bank, and stood in line with open-carry armed neighbors, I felt SAFER. I have yet to see a sane gun owner go around the bend and murder people, have you?

“The fact is they do represent the people who elect them, and it’s essential if we’re going to continue to have contact that the public who are at these meetings are ensured of their own safety,” King said.

King said the legislation does not contradict views on guns.

“From a conservative perspective, we have to have a stable society, we have to keep crime down,” King said. “You cannot do that if the police cannot be assured that illegal guns are not on the street.

“To have a stable society and a safe society, we have to remove illegal guns,” King continued.

More circle-thinking. How does one remove illegal guns when their is a prohibition on them? Obviously Rep. King doesn’t remember the rise of the criminal element in this country when alcohol was made illegal.

If Mr. King wants illegal guns off the street, and wants the public protected, then he must introduce legislation that requires all Americans to own, be trained, and open-carry a firearm at all times. The Gestapo big government police won’t like it, but that’s just too bad.  They’ll just have to get over it.