Aid to Jim Webb arrested for taking loaded weapon into Senate office building

[Xiahou]

Well, this is definitely an odd story- read it here.

Short story- Webb's aid is arrested by Capitol Police for carrying a bag containing Webb's loaded handgun into the Senate office building. Apparently, Webb has a concealed carry permit and is a big 2A supporter- good on him I say, we need more pro-2A Senators. OTOH, I felt Webb's attempted explanation for the event just seemed bizarre... Also, regardless of his Virginia permit, it is still highly illegal to carry a loaded firearm in DC- which makes one wonder what on earth his aid was doing with an loaded, uncased handgun. That in turn, makes me wonder how responsible a gun owner Webb is for allowing an aid to transport a loaded, unsecured firearm. If this was just some mix-up or mistake, as some suggested- that makes it all the worse. You don't just "forget" what you did with a loaded weapon.

[Crazed Rabbit]

IIRC, Congressmen might be able to carry weapons on federal grounds legally.

I will await further comment on this one to see how it pans out.

Right now, it's just another stupid law -prison for harmlessly carrying a hunk of metal!

CR
Interesting how some dems cry about how DC doesn't have representatives (and, if they get that they will cry about the lack of two democrat shoo-in senators for one city), but hate people having gun rights.

[Lemur]

It's nice to know he's armed and cares about second amendment rights. The idea that he just kinda lost track of a loaded weapon, however, is creepy.

FTA: "Federal law allows members of Congress “or their agents” to transport unloaded and securely wrapped firearms to and from the Capitol grounds."

Securely being the operative word, here.

[Major Robert Dump]

maybe the aide was going to assasinate Ted Kennedy

[doc_bean]

Regardless of how you feel about gun control, allowing people to carry guns into a senate building sounds like a bad idea.

[Banquo's Ghost]

Regardless of how you feel about gun control, allowing people to carry guns into a senate building sounds like a bad idea.

Seems entirely consistent with the arguments to me. After all, that's where the government is...

[English assassin]

Seems entirely consistent with the arguments to me. After all, that's where the government is...

LoL

I really don't understand US gun law. If the senator has a permit for a handgun, what has that got to do with his aide carrying one?

I've got a firearms licence myself but god help me if I ever allowed anyone else to use, or even be in possession of, my rifle? Revocation of the licence would just be the start.

Surely the senator and his aide are both in the merde?

[BDC]

Loaded and uncased weapons are all fun and games (harmless lumps of metal?) until they catch on something and blow your leg off.

[Ronin]

Regardless of how you feel about gun control, allowing people to carry guns into a senate building sounds like a bad idea.

I say they give a gun to everyone in Senate and Congress, lock them in with vast ammounts of alcohol and drugs, and propose they discuss the topic of abortion....

You then transmit whatever transpires on TV.....C-Span might not cut it...for this we need Pay-Per-View...

now that´s MUST SEE TV!

[BDC]

I say they give a gun to everyone in Senate and Congress, lock them in with vast ammounts of alcohol and drugs, and propose they discuss the topic of abortion....

You then transmit whatever transpires on TV.....C-Span might not cut it...for this we need Pay-Per-View...

now that´s MUST SEE TV!

That would be awesome. Give them body armour and morphine too, let the fun last longer.

Maybe you could phone in to vote on who gets given the assault rifle.

[Slyspy]

"My gun? Oh, I loaded it, put it in a paper bag and put it.... Nope, can't remember."

Just the kind of guy you need on your side if you are pro-gun!

I'm just trying to imagine, say, the Italian parliament if they could go in armed!

Edit:

When the article says that the aide is being done for carrying an unregistered firearm and ammo I take it this simply means "not registered to him" rather than actually unregistered?

[drone]

Someone needs to tell him to be more careful when he crosses the Potomac River. Virginia is a very different place than DC.

I find it funny that members of Congress can move unloaded weapons to and from the Capitol. It's during that trip that you really need a loaded weapon.

[Whacker]

Gun control means using both hands folks.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Imagine Blair's new "favored response" during weekly questions on the floor!

Take the old applaud/sit silently thing the pols do during the State of the Union address to a new level!

It would give new meaning to the Knesset hammering together another governing coalition too.

[Kralizec]

I'm just trying to imagine, say, the Italian parliament if they could go in armed!

Major news: communist party swept from parliament

[Crazed Rabbit]

EA: A senator's permit, which is valid in Virginia, doesn't matter in the Capital. Lemur quoted the law that allowed Congressmen to carry without permits, or their agents.

Either way, this guy broke the law. The gun was not declared, doesn't sound all that secure, etc. The question is what they do with him, and how the Senator reacts.

I've got a firearms licence myself but god help me if I ever allowed anyone else to use, or even be in possession of, my rifle? Revocation of the licence would just be the start.

Whoa, are you saying you can't let people (without the equivalent rifle license as you, I assume) shoot your rifle, in a safe and controlled manner, at a range?

That's too bad. Here I could shoot another fellow's machine gun.

That would be awesome. Give them body armour and morphine too, let the fun last longer.

Maybe you could phone in to vote on who gets given the assault rifle.

That would be a great idea. Though, I'd propose we give Congressmen only those arms which they haven't tried banning or regulating from the private citizen. Hee-hee!

When the article says that the aide is being done for carrying an unregistered firearm and ammo I take it this simply means "not registered to him" rather than actually unregistered?

In most states you don't have to register semi-auto rifles or handguns of any sort. In DC, it's likely you need to register all arms with the state, though I think one person could carry a gun registered to another (like loaning someone your car). The article makes it sound like you also have to register ammo in DC. So, if Webb got the gun in Virginia, he probably didn't have to register it there (as he didn't need to), much less register it with DC (where one needs to to own a gun, except the police never allow registrations).

Crazed Rabbit

[Devastatin Dave]

Webb's a democrat, so nothing will happen over this. Hell, we just had a Kennedy hopped up on drugs slaming into the capital steps with his car and not an eye blinked.

[Slyspy]

Of course not, that is about par for the course with a Kennedy.

[Hosakawa Tito]

Maybe they're going hunting with Cheney and felt the need for a backup...After you, Senator...Oh no, Dick, after you...

[HoreTore]

Hmm, this reminds me of the guy arrested at Copenhagen airport for joking about a bomb...

[Crazed Rabbit]

Update: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...032701447.html

Webb, it seems, isn't going to go down defending this guy. He's not stabbing him the back, but he's not, it appears, pulling out all the stops to help.

Will be interesting to hear the aide's version of the whole thing.

Webb, unusually for a democrat, is a strong gun rights supporter.

Crazed Rabbit

[Whacker]

Maybe they're going hunting with Cheney and felt the need for a backup...After you, Senator...Oh no, Dick, after you...

It's a variation on spin the bottle, except kissing the person you get to shoot them square in the face with a loaded shotgun.

[Lemur]

Here's a little clarification about the weird situation with D.C. gun laws vs. lawmaker privilege:

The Capitol grounds are federal property and not subject to the District's strict gun laws, which generally prohibit firearms.

Although some people are allowed to bring guns into the Capitol, they cannot legally get them there, said Lt. Jon Shelton, the longtime head of the D.C. police department's gun unit.

"They can't helicopter them in," Shelton said.

Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Terrance W. Gainer said he would advise lawmakers to "abide by D.C. laws" when not on Capitol grounds. He said members of Congress who want guns at the Capitol should ask police to transport the weapons for them.