Police

Three Cheers for Chicago Police Supt. McCarthy

Here’s the story with the video. Here’s the story about the inevitable backlash to anybody who talks about the harms that guns cause to people in our cities. They tend to be ad hominem. Kudos for not being afraid to talk about race. Yes folks, racism used to not only be legal, but mandatory. And yes folks, that still matters.…

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The Elusive Search for “Mr. Kingpin”

The LA Times reports that the ATF Director is expected to resign over the “Fast and Furious” gun program. It sure does seem a little strange for law enforcement to watch guns being sold to criminals and not acting. The operation marked a rare instance in which ATF agents allowed guns to “walk” into the hands of criminals, ostensibly with…

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Gun Control? “Your Side Won”

Tom Tomorrow, one of my favorite cartoonists, summarizes gun control and killings quite well. Click through to read. “Barring some seismic realignment in this country, the gun control debate is all but settled–and your side won. The occasional horrific civilian massacre is just the price the rest of us have to pay.” As if we need it, the horrible shooting…

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2nd Amendment for Immigrants

It’s not too often supporters of the 2nd Amendment and supporters of immigrant rights can find common political ground. But here’s a case. Whatever happened to discretion? Immigration officials are always on the lookout to deport “criminal aliens,” and it appears that last week, Mr. Valerio’s name came up. … He had been a legal permanent resident of the United…

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Happiness is a Worn Gun

In Harpers, Dan Baum has the best piece you’ll ever read about carrying a concealed gun. Why is it the best? Because it doesn’t fall into any of the usual left-wing-hate-guns right-wing-love-guns cliches. Along with guns, Baum likes rational drug policy, bicycles, hats, food, and my book (we have much in common). He’s, you know, your typical gun-loving liberal Jewish…

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British Badass

Man wrestles gun from 19-year-old outside pub in Manchester. No doubt helped by a bit of Dutch courage.

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Holiday (Criminal) Spirit

The Christmas crime season is the US begins. This storyfrom the NY Daily News. [November 30 Update] And the Chicago Sun Times. Street crime really does up before Christmas. Keep that in mind. I’m in a pub in York, UK, right now. Leeds, where I’m staying, and where David Simon said he might have set The Wire if he set…

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Lack of Gun Control

Nice to know that all those places with right-to-carry and relaxed gun laws, like military bases and the state of Florida, are safe from gun violence. Florida, for some strange reason, is often held up by gun-righters as an example of a good state. Yet Florida is violent and has become more so since gun control was relaxed. Here’s my…

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Gunshots or Firecrackers

Justin Fenton writes about a gunshot detection system in the Eastern. An interesting concept. Mixed results at best. Cops, after a little while, get pretty good at telling the difference between gunshots and firecrackers. They’re very similar, but gunshots are kind of a shorter, tighter bang. It’s kind of hard to describe. But you would think a computer could better…

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