Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Lions, Lambs and Wolves

In Memphis, the Commercial Appeal has published on their website a searchable database of holders of concealed handgun permits. This endangers thousands of holders of these permits who have, as we all do, an expectation of privacy when all we want to do is act responsibly and legitimize our right to carry a firearm to defend ourselves against assault. Low-level workers in the criminal justice system (bail bondsmen, parole officers, etc.) who do not qualify for the privilege of a free permit routinely granted to their superiors (prosecutors, clerks and judges) have had their privacy violated by exposure in the MCA. The same for persons fleeing from abusive intimate relationships. Worse, the MCA has placed this database alongside other databases for sexual predators and the like.

The NRA's Chris Cox wrote a letter to the MCA, which they have chosen not to publish, so it's up on the NRA-ILA's website. I particularly like this quote from the late Charleton Heston:

"... in a world where wolves cannot distinguish between lions and lambs, the whole flock is safer."

Nicely put!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

What the NRA should do is see who on the list would be up for this, then take out a full page ad in a rival paper, if there is one, with these people's photos and explanations of why they are proud to be CC permit holders, in index/card format 4x4 in the ad. Like a team roster. If they're trying to shame people and treat permit holders like sex offenders, throw it in their faces.

Then get a p.i. to do some digging into the backgrounds of people on the Commercial Appeal. I bet some of them have some salient, purient stuff to bring out that they'd like to keep hidden. And there's nothing like the private life of a lib that screams "target rich environment."

I admire our side's willingness to always try to fight fair and nice, but sometimes the other guy pulls a dirty trick that makes you take the gloves off. Just to show him that you're fair because you want to be, not because you have to be because you lack heart.