Guns And Judges
December 9th, 2006 by Syd
Some years ago in Florida, a rather flamboyant St. Lucie County circuit court judge named Trowbridge wore cowboy boots into the courtroom and also carried a gun beneath his robes.
Not all latter-day judges wear cowboy boots but, according to the National Law Journal, more and more of them are arming themselves. After recent shootings in Atlanta, Chicago and Las Vegas, judges are strapping on weapons, and a number of state laws are being modified to allow concealed weapons by the judiciary.
This may not seem like good news to gun-control advocates, but the public has little to fear from law-abiding judges carrying guns. Although the Law Journal notes, in one case, a Florida judge warned a defense attorney that he was “locked and loaded.” Although Florida law allows individuals to carry concealed weapons, the judge agreed to accept “mentoring.”
Texas Judge Cynthia Kent told the journal that it is routine for judicial officials to carry guns in her state, “We feel strongly about providing adequate security, but it comes down to personal responsibility. And youâ??ve got to take responsibility for your own safety.” (Ironically, the commonwealthâ??s new senator also has a permit to carry a weapon)
Perhaps thatâ??s what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they wrote the Second Amendment.
Obviously, if anyone uses guns â?? or other weapons â?? in criminal activities, there should be swift and severe punishment.
But, as science fiction writer Robert Heinlein once noted, an armed society is a polite society.
Source: DNR Online
Now all we have to do is to get those gun-toting judges to start striking down the unconstitutional laws that prevent the rest of the law-abiding citizens from being able to defend themselves.