JEPSEN: That uncomfortable hunk of metal

by Kent Jepsen

This kind of stuff really annoys me.   I initially thought this was a classic case of “irony,” but many would probably call it poetic justice.

GUN STUN: Gun control activist swears he forgot he was carrying gun while visiting school

(Daily Caller) – A Buffalo, N.Y. community activist who is well known locally for pushing for a highly restrictive 2013 gun control law has been arrested for — wait for it — carrying a gun illegally at a public elementary school.

The arrested gun-control advocate, Dwayne Ferguson, caused quite a scene at Harvey Austin Elementary School, reports local CBS affiliate WIVB.

At about 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, police acted on a pair of anonymous 911 tips. A battalion of cops quickly swarmed the school. The brigade included over a dozen squad cars, the SWAT team and K9 units. The Erie County Sheriff’s Air One helicopter and what appears to be an armored vehicle also turned up.

The school was immediately placed on lockdown. Parts of two streets were closed.

…The community activist has claimed that he forgot he was carrying his gun in a felony gun-free zone he helped create.

Here’s a guy who was front-and-center in helping pass that abomination of a “SAFE Act”  in New York and he carries a gun into the elementary school knowing full well it was totally illegal (even though he has a concealed carry permit for New York State, such as that is).

And now, because he’s a “good guy,” everyone rallies around him, including his friends and “associates”, many of whom are fellow activists, saying he made “an honest mistake.”

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

In over 30 years of carrying a firearm – concealed or not-so-concealed – I never had a moment where I “forgot” I was carrying.

It is, to borrow a few of Christopher Walken’s words from Pulp Fiction,  usually an “uncomfortable hunk of metal” to have on your person, especially when it’s concealed somewhere.

The problem isn’t that a “good” person had a gun in the school.  In my opinion, good guys should have guns in schools.

Instead, it’s that

1) Dwayne Ferguson’s a liar and a hypocrite (he lobbied for a law to disarm people, but doesn’t want to follow the law himself);

2) worse yet, Dwayne Ferguson had a chance to tell the police up front and save them hours and expense and he didn’t do it; and

3) many, if not most of the residents in New York (ignorantly) actually wanted this stupid law – although they wouldn’t want it applied to them.

My guess is that he won’t be fully prosecuted (for obvious reasons which I won’t go into), and I’m not sure he’ll pay much of a penalty.

Maybe the poor slob will be deprived of his gun rights or, at the very least, maybe his CCW permit will be revoked.

If that happens, gang bangers – his enemies – will know he’s been disarmed.  Then he’ll be like everyone else enjoying NY-style gun-control-hell!

If he wants to defend himself against those who would harm him, he’ll be forced to carry illegally just like other regular Joes and Janes are forced to do.  It’ll all be because of the felony for which will make it a calculated risk he’ll have to agonize over every single day.

Frankly, I’d normally be “on his side,” but I’m tired of the stupid laws and, worse, the laws being administered unevenly.  This law should be repealed, regardless if this guy is the poster child.  But folks won’t see it that way.  They’ll keep the law and maybe make an exception for Dwayne Ferguson, but they wouldn’t dream of doing so for most of us regular folks – you know, the NRA types – the slack-jawed rednecks who think gun free zones are a bad idea get no breaks.

Kent Jepsen is a retired police officer from Central Illinois who now works for the State of Illinois.