Front Sight, Press

WASHINGTON, March 26 — A close aide to Senator Jim Webb, Democrat of Virginia, was arrested on Monday and jailed after trying to take a loaded handgun into a Senate office building, officials said.

The aide, identified by Mr. Webb’s office as Phillip Thompson, 45, had a semiautomatic, 9 millimeter pistol and two magazines that were discovered after he put his bag through an X-ray machine at an entrance to the Russell Senate Office Building, said Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, a spokeswoman for the United States Capitol Police. Mr. Thompson faces felony charges of carrying a pistol without a license and possessing an unregistered firearm and unregistered ammunition.

Another Congressional official briefed on the case said the aide had told the authorities that Mr. Webb gave him the pistol while being dropped at the airport and that he inadvertently took it to the Capitol complex.

A spokeswoman for Mr. Webb, a decorated Vietnam veteran and former secretary of the Navy elected last November, would not immediately address the question of the ownership of the weapon.

“To our knowledge, this incident was an oversight by the senator’s aide,” said the spokeswoman, Jessica Smith. “Phillip Thompson is a former marine, a long-term friend and trusted employee of the senator. We are still awaiting facts.”

The District of Columbia has strict controls on guns, and it is extremely difficult to get a license to carry a gun even if the gun is properly registered in another jurisdiction. Though a federal appeals court recently struck down some aspects of the gun control ordinance, it remains in force while that decision is on appeal. Source

This one is really interesting. Republican-turned-Democrat Senator Jim Webb’s aide gets popped bringing the senator’s gun into the Russell Senate Office Building. Jim Webb is the Democrats’ new darling, having unseated George Allen (who self-destructed in his final campaign with a bunch of verbal stupidity that still takes my breath away). Now Senator Webb is tangled up in an “unlicensed gun” crime. On one hand, it shows what utter oppressive bull shit the D.C. gun ban is. In another way, it illustrates the class structure that the Democrats actually practice on guns (they’re OK for us elite types, just keep them away from the unwashed masses).

The question is now: will they let the loyal aide get crucified on the unconstitutional law? Will they try to do something about it to rescue the aide and the reputation of the senator? Is it time for the Democrats to start putting their money where their mouth is on gun control? Or will they show their true colors and distance themselves from the outsider Webb and let the poor aide swing? I’m fascinated to see how this one will work out.

It’s a total obscenity that Phillip Thompson is facing felony charges over an incident that in most states wouldn’t even be an issue, and I hope that one way or the other he gets off. The poor man had to spend the night in jail for exercising his civil rights:

Thompson spent the night in a D.C. jail after U.S. Capitol Police determined Monday that he did not have a permit to carry a gun in Washington, D.C., where only law enforcement officials are permitted to carry handguns. According to the court docket, Monday was Thompson’s 45th birthday.

He is charged with carrying a pistol without a license and possession of an unregistered firearm and unregistered ammunition. Source

Senator Webb has a carry permit from Virginia, likes to shoot and is regarded as a Second Amendment supporter, but he says he doesn’t carry at work:

Webb told The Richmond Times Dispatch in December that he considers himself a “strong Second Amendment person” but said he does not carry a gun to work.

“I don’t carry personally regularly. I shoot regularly. I like to have the option to carry, which is why I keep the permit,” he said. “I value the opportunity to be able to protect myself, depending on situations. But no, I don’t walk around with a weapon on me all of the time.” Source

Oh, really? Me thinks we’re caught with our paw in the cookie jar… and he also said,

“I believe that it’s important — it’s important for me, personally, and for a lot of people in the situation that I’m in, to be able to defend myself and my family,” Webb said. “Since 9/11 for people who are in government I think in general there has been an agreement that it’s a more dangerous time. Again, I’m not going to comment, again, with great specificity about how I defend myself, but I do feel that I have that right.” Source

So, self-defense is great for people in government, but the rest of us have to walk around naked? OK. Sounds a bit hypocritical there Jimbo. Why isn’t the senator using this opportunity to make the case for shall issue concealed carry and the right of all citizens to adequate self defense?

Well, so maybe he’s been reading the blog, who knows? But later he said this,

“I believe that wherever you see laws that allow people to carry (weapons), generally the violence goes down.” Source

That’s more like it. In the interest of fairness, I’m not sure if this second quote is from the original interview or a later one. The first source, Fox News, has the quote running differently. The second source, SFGate, adds this line at the end of the paragraph which contains the “my situation” speech,  but does not link it directly to the “a lot of people in the situation I’m in…” Regardless, better late than never, and it’s possible the first source may have spiked the pro-CCW statement. I feel better about the senator already.

To me this looks like another stake in the heart of the illegal D.C. gun ban, or at least, it should be.

Further reading:

Webb’s aide facing felony charge over gun flap

Senator Webb says needs gun for protection

Defender of the Second Amendment, if Not of His Aide

Gun arrest gives Webb political opening

Webb defends aide, but denies giving him gun

Sen. Webb backs aide with gun — ‘dangerous time’ for politicians
Virginia Democrat strongly supports right to bear arms

Interesting reflections from Glen Reynolds at Instapundit