Wednesday, February 15, 2006

How Many Checks Could a Gun Check Check...?

A bill that would let concealed-gun permit holders skip federal background checks when purchasing firearms died Tuesday after a half-dozen law enforcement officials and anti-gun activists testified against it...

Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey called Kester's bill flawed, insisting it would have created loopholes and undermined current laws.

"When the concealed-gun law was first passed in the state, I don't think it was intended to be a gateway not to undergo a background check," Morrissey said.

The concealed gun permit process is a background check, you dolt.

I think I've found the answer to my question. You call it a "Morrissey."

Le Principe de Pierre

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's promotion of a senior gun registry bureaucrat has put one of his MPs in a tough spot -- Gary Breitkreuz once blamed the civil servant for huge cost overruns.

"The transition team must have seen something under the hood that I didn't see," the Saskatchewan MP said yesterday of Maryantonett Flumian...

[Breitkreuz] charged that as project leader, [Flumian] had been personally responsible for mistakes with the gun program that ended up costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

"Didn't you feel some kind of responsibility to inform your political masters that this project could never be implemented, that all the firearms in Canada could probably never be registered, that the costs would skyrocket?" Breitkreuz asked her at the time.

I know the Peter Principle is when you promote someone to their level of incompetence. What do you call it when you break through that barrier and kick things to a level beyond?

A New York Minute

Yesterday, I said I'd look into whether or not Jeanine Pirro living with a convicted felon husband and several firearms was problematic in the eyes of the law. So far, the code I've been able to find hasn't addressed this specific set of circumstances, although I admit I'm far from versed at interpreting relevant Empire State Consolidated Penal Laws. The difficulty I'm having centers on "presumption of possession." Anyway, I'll continue seeing what I can find out about this--if anyone has any knowledge or leads, please feel free to comment.

While looking into this--as so often happens--another story is emerging that is indirectly related. Pull a loose thread and you never know what the unraveling will reveal. Not to be coy, but let me wait until I compile more (time-consuming) information before saying more...

UPDATE: SayUncle has some thoughts on the legality issue...