Nickels Missing; Seattle Finds Smoking Gun Dec 17, ‘08 1:14 AM
by Mark S. Knapp, Federal Way
Subsequent to publishing the following article, Nickels issued his edict. He is now out of office and his successor and the City of Seattle are battling at least two legal actions that the City cannot expect to win:
Mayor Nickels wrote to the Speaker of our State House of Representatives, Hon. Frank Chopp, on May 4, 2006. Greg Nickels stated:
“State law preempts any and all local regulations related to firearms. Our hands are tied at the local level and we are unable to adopt any local laws to protect our residents from gun crime.”
-Mayor Greg Nickels, May 4, 2006.
For several months after the Mayor Nickel held public hearings on his plans to ban guns on City property, he seemed to know that the legal action ready to be filed by the Second Amendment Foundation in Bellevue, Washington can seriously hurt the City. Then in March, 2009, the Mayor’s office indicated that the edict will go into effect on a yet to be announced date. See Workman.
During his nonappearance at the public hearings held to air his edict banning carry of weapons on most city premises and parks, the Mayor clearly created an unrebuttable presumption that he has delusions of grandeur that are more characteristic of Cook County political personalities than the traits we see in our Seattle politicians.
Maybe guilty of malfeasance and violation of his oath to uphold the Constitution by reason of insanity will be his plea? Official misconduct to deprive citizens of privileges and immunities is a form of reckless disregard of the Mayor’s official duties and oath of office, according to one retired Coast Guard member. “Gun free zones don’t work,” the indignant citizen proclaimed as he stood there, still a watchman on the stormy sea of liberty. This theme was repeated by several speakers until finally one impassioned lady cried, “The reason we keep repeating ourselves is because you guys just don’t hear us!” The people of Mumbai seem to have heard the message better thsn the Mayor.
I read in the newspaper this week that a guy in Mexico makes a little boat that stays right below the water and leaves no heat signature because the exhaust pipes are under water. They cost a million dollars but drug dealers buy them up faster than the government can eliminate them. A terrorist could never bring a crew to Seattle like that? Those guys only know how to handle weapons of mass destruction like nukes and crude biological stuff. They would never get in an underwater boat and come to a friendly town like Seattle where everybody except Weyerhauser Corporation loves trees. But then again, the boat has a range of 2,000 some miles…. I digress.
According to FBI crime statistics, there were 9,000 hate crimes in 2007 and 41% of those crimes occurred in public buildings such as the Seattle City Hall. Back in 2008, the Mayor announced that he had legal authority to ban weapons on City property. That is when the public hearings occurred. Since then, the number of approved applications for Concealed Pistol Licenses has increased and so have gun sales in King County.
Yvonne Ward, a civil rights lawyer that represents crime victims, was present at the hearing and told the City of Seattle exactly why Mayor Nickels’ gun ban will make victims more vulnerable to men that prey on women. The Mayor’s edict victimizes women twice by making criminals of those that disobey the law.
Ms. Ward, an Asian-American leader who definitely carries, was among many that provided public comment and then asked, “Where is Mayor Nickels?” The Mayor was conspicuously absent. The hearing, held on Bill of Rights Day, was replete with doctors, retired veterans, academics (including a UW professor emeritus) and victims of violent crimes- all opposed to Nickels’ decree.
One of the few that favored the ban claimed to speak for the Jewish Federation insisting that disarming honest people on City property is a “common sense” way to stop hate crimes like the shootings that occurred at the Federation’s Seattle headquarters. I asked the speaker wouldn’t he be safer having armed citizens nearby? He abruptly cut off the discussion with me in the hallway.
A survivor of the same hate crime (committed by a menatlly ill person of Middle Eastern ancestry who became agitated when Israel went into Lebenon a few years ago) said her niece was also a victim. She also stated that she is a board member of Washington Ceasefire. These were some of the few that favored the gun ban. Several speakers made reference to Hitler and Lenin’s outspoken support for gun control, the point being that all dictators share the same sentiments as Washington Ceasefire.
Joe Waldron came from sunny Florida to point out that if you lock your weapon in the car in order to comply with the Mayor’s edict you run the risk of getting your weapon stolen like Gil Kerlikowske- the former Seattle PD Chief’s gun was stolen from his vehicle and is now a potential instrumentality of criminal violence on the streets! Evidently the Obama Administration overlooked little problems like the lost gun and the fact that his son has a drug problem. He is now slated to be the nation’s new drug chief!
Speakers favoring responsible self-defense included self-professed “liberals” and gay people that are opposed to becoming victims. A rape victim stated that she would be terrified to walk in a Seattle park near her home without concealed carry. Many fathers also expressed safety concerns about taking their families to parks without the ability to protect their kids. Judges and prosecutors might also have concerns about their own personal safety traversing City property but none were present to testify. In Seattle, many folks use Metro and cannot lock their weapons in the car to enter property belonging to Mayor Nickels. You may or may not be surprised how many lawyers carry- for good reason.
One of these days I would like to write an article analyzing the statistical probability that ethnic minorities will be victims of violent crime compared to statistics for non-minority Caucasians. Of over 150 people present from many races and backgrounds, there must have been twenty that favored the Nickels Gun Ban.
Most of those that favored the change seemed to be spokespersons from Ceasefire. They used words like illogical to characterize armed self-defense. Hmmmmm….
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