Predictably, the lunatic fringe began to be heard from only moments after President Obama announced proposals for tighter gun controls that also reaffirm the constitutional right of responsible individuals to own firearms. The loony who got the most media attention was a sheriff.
Why was Sheriff Tim Mueller of Linn County, Oregon,
so newsworthy? Well, for one thing
sheriffs usually are referred to as “law enforcement officers.” When Mueller
sent a letter to Vice-president Joe Biden saying he would not enforce laws or executive
orders improving gun control if he deemed them unconstitutional, the sheriff
moved from the realm of enforcing laws to deciding their merits. That would
make him a novelty in modern America—a
cop who also is the judge.
Mueller says in his letter he has served as a law enforcer
for 31 years, so it seems fair to assume he is an adult. He should know that convincing
voters in Linn County to elect him sheriff did not
confer the power to rule on the constitutionality of federal laws or executive actions.
The Supreme Court has ruled several times that the federal government has all
the authority it needs to establish reasonable gun controls. And what the
president has proposed is reasonable.
It is not surprising that the National Rifle Association
refused to participate in developing the current proposals. Even though many polls
show a large number of NRA members support reasonable gun controls, its
leadership prefers to pander to the fringe with scare tactics about the
government confiscating all guns or “give an inch and they’ll take a mile”
kinds of admonitions.
What is surprising is that thousands of people, at least
some of whom probably are adults, have expressed support for Mueller. Perhaps
we should adopt some mental health standards for individuals allowed to comment
on important questions. Such action might be a nice complement to Mr. Obama’s
proposals, which include strengthening programs that could help people with mental
problems and also improve screening so those with serious mental health issues
would be less likely to acquire firearms.
Unfortunately, it seems unlikely we will get to work any
time soon on devising controls that would prevent mental midgets like Mueller
from wearing badges while defying the legal system that true American patriots understand
and support.
