Someone forgot to tell this sheriff that he's an Only One

Sheriff Barry J. Jozwiak, of Berks County, Pennsylvania, apparently didn't get the memo about law enforcement officers being the Only Ones professional enough to keep and bear arms. His testimony to a panel of PA lawmakers would seem to indicate that he is under the nutty impression that the Bill of Rights protects that right for everyone (the horror!).

There would seem to be plenty of people who would like to set him straight about that, though.

Jozwiak’s testimony before the state House Judiciary Committee in City Council chambers put him at odds with Reading Mayor Tom McMahon, Philadelphia lawmakers and others calling for tougher handgun laws in response to a rash of shootings and murders in Pennsylvania cities.

He just doesn't seem to get it.

"Gun control does not reduce crime," Jozwiak said. "In fact, criminals prefer their victims to be unarmed."

Criminals prefer their victims to be unarmed?! Could that be? But wait a second--Sarah Brady and Paul Helmke want us unarmed, also, and so does Josh Sugarmann (VPC). That would mean that these groups want the same thing the criminals do. That is certainly an interesting alliance.

Jozwiak even criticized a proposal that would require gun owners to notify police if their handguns were lost or stolen.

He "even" criticized legislation that could turn crime victims into criminals! Is he deranged?!

Good thing Pennsylvania has some legislators who aren't so caught up in this "Constitutional rights" nonsense.

State Rep. Jewell Williams, a Philadelphia Democrat, said he was frustrated by the influence the National Rifle Association and other gun advocates exert in blocking efforts to get guns off the streets.

"People are dying in Pennsylvania," Williams said. "Your kids ... are being shot, robbed and murdered with illegal guns. It’s almost like people don’t care anymore. It’s like special-interest groups are controlling people’s lives."

I'm surprised Jewell doesn't see the obvious solution--if gun rights advocates are too effective in their protection of the Second Amendment, we need to shut them down--go after the First Amendment, so we can pass any civilian disarmament laws we like, without pesky talk of "rights."

Unfortunately, it seems that the Sheriff is not alone in his bizarre insistence on protecting "rights."

State Rep. Jim Cox, a Spring Township Republican, said he would not support the one-handgun-per-month legislation because it chips away at gun owners’ rights and could lead to more drastic restrictions.

"I want people to have the sheer, unadulterated ability to defend themselves," Cox said. "If they want to go out and buy 20 weapons to protect themselves because there has been a crime wave in their neighborhood, I don’t want to restrict them."

With people like Sheriff Jozwiak and Representative Cox, Pennsylvania may never have a massive firearms registration bureaucracy, with fingerprinting, annual criminal background checks, mandatory "safe storage," $10 annual registration fee per gun, etc.

With people like Jozwiak and Cox in office, Pennsylania may never free itself from the curse of human rights.

Many thanks to David Codrea, at War on Guns, for the link and the kind words--very much appreciated.