ZeSpectre
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Washington Post
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/2007/05/virginia_vs_nyc_gun_wars.html?hpid=news-col-blogs
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/rawfisher/2007/05/virginia_vs_nyc_gun_wars.html?hpid=news-col-blogs
Virginia Vs. NYC: Gun Wars
When New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg learned that a whole bunch of the guns used in violent crimes in his town had been illegally purchased from shops in Virginia, he authorized his police officers to conduct undercover operations designed to nail those Virginia retailers.
Did Virginia thank New York for investigations that could help make the streets safer in both places? Did Virginia sheepishly admit that its own enforcement efforts were lacking and use the embarrassing moment to redouble its efforts?
You know the answers: Virginia did nothing of the sort. Rather, Virginia Attorney General Robert McDonnell turned around and attacked New York, touting a measure that makes it illegal for outsiders to do the kind of undercover operation that the NYC cops conducted in Virginia. McDonnell took on his fellow Republican, warning Bloomberg that his agents would be guilty of felonies if they tried to bring that dang law enforcement nonsense to the Old Dominion.
McDonnell told Bloomberg that "such non-law enforcement activities related to undercover illegal firearm purchases will be punishable as a felony in Virginia. While I understand that you are attempting to take steps that you believe may enhance the public safety of the citizens of New York City, such laws are Virginia's duty to enforce, and our outstanding state police take that duty seriously."
Gov. Tim Kaine was hardly better, telling the Post that "I want to enforce the laws, the law needs to be enforced, but I don't think you should have out there a bunch of rogue folks." Those "rogues" are not even Yankees: The New York City police hired Virginia-based investigators to do the necessary work in Virginia.
Last week, the New Yorkers appeared to back down, agreeing that if they continued their operations in Virginia, they would first notify the state police that they'd be coming on down.
McDonnell couldn't let that rest. He needed to gloat. So he went public with a statement pointedly noting that Bloomberg and company had cried Uncle. At which point the New Yorkers said, Whoa: ""We will not for one second back away from our tough law-enforcement efforts against illegal guns," Bloomberg spokesman Jason Post told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "We caught Virginia gun dealers on videotape flagrantly violating the law -- and we wish that the attorney general would put as much time into enforcing the laws already on the books as he does on issuing press releases and engaging in turf battles. Right now, New Yorkers are paying a heavy price for his inattention to the Virginia gun dealers that contribute to the illegal trafficking market."
You'd think that less than a month after the shootings at Virginia Tech, the state's politicians wouldn't be quite so eager to wrap themselves in the loving arms of the gun lobby. You'd be wrong. Virginia Tech president Charles Steger said the other day that "We owe it to the injured, we owe it to the families of the fallen, and we owe it to all other schools and campuses in this country to examine all these issues . . . and find ways of preventing anything like this ever again." But rather than focus efforts on that mission, Virginia's top law enforcement official is falling all over himself to make it clear that he will even protect gun shop owners who are being accused of selling their wares illegally.
The Attorney General's coddling of gun dealers and their friends only encourages the kind of stunt that the Virginia Citizens Defense League will stage Thursday at the Mason District Government Center in Annandale. The group will hold a gala drawing for a semiautomatic pistol, a hunting rifle and ammunition to raise money for two of the gun shops against which Bloomberg has filed suit.
Fairfax County officials tell the Post's Tim Craig that they are unhappy about the gun event being staged in their government building, but they said they are powerless to halt the stunt because Richmond won't let local governments ban guns in public buildings.
Virginians can be grateful to the New York mayor for undertaking the law enforcement that their own state government fails to do, instead cowering before the almighty gun lobby.