Gun Lobby Hypocrisy
Today on Instapundit, Glenn Reynolds complains about Montgomery County police using tips generated during the DC sniper manhunt to round up those who have violated Maryland's gun laws. Reynolds is incensed.

"This is sure to produce less cooperation in the future," states Reynolds "And it explains why so many gun owners don't trust the authorities: They've seen things used as excuses for anti-gun sweeps in the past."

Wait a second. Isn't the pro-gun lobby always arguing against new gun laws with the slogan, "Enforce those laws on the books!"? For example, how about this from the NRA website:

For more than a century, NRA has aggressively supported the strict enforcement of laws against violent criminals who misuse firearms and has worked to improve the criminal justice system. As just one example, NRA actively worked to insure that the Career Armed Criminal Act became federal law in 1984.

During the 1990s, NRA worked with state legislatures and governors to increase prison sentences, reduce probation and parole for the most violent criminals and to impose mandatory sentencing guidelines for repeat offenders.

Today, NRA continues to lead the call for expansion of “Project Exile,” a federal program that throws the book at felons who illegally possess firearms. Measures like these have been credited for violent crime decreasing for nine consecutive years.

Yet, when Maryland police intend to strictly enforce these gun laws by using tips legally gathered in another investigation, gun supporters are suddenly up in arms against these anti-gun sweeps.

From what I can tell, it's more like anti-crime sweeps.

Kilroy

- posted by Anonymous @ 3:42 PM