Securing the Homeland with HopeandChange™

The HopeandChange™ Anti-Gun Dream Team keeps getting bigger and "better," with the newest addition being Arizona's Governor Janet Napolitano as the next Secretary of Homeland Security. What's her stance on guns?

Well, in 2007, she vetoed Arizona SB 1302, which would have made Arizona's "Stand Your Ground" law retroactive. This could have made the difference for Harold Fish, who is serving a prison sentence for second degree murder, despite the fact that a strong case was made for the argument that he fired in self-defense. Napolitano said that her veto came out of concerns that reopening all the cases that could be affected by the change in law would overburden the court system. That makes sense--we certainly wouldn't want to give innocent people a chance to get out of prison if doing so would be inconvenient.

Early this year, she got the veto pen out again, and killed a bill that would have made carrying a concealed firearm without a permit a petty offense, rather than a Class 3 felony. It would also have prohibited the confiscation of the firearm. While even a "petty offense" for the exercise of one's Constitutionally guaranteed, fundamental, absolute human right of the individual to keep and bear arms without first having become "licensed" to do so is offensive, it beats the hell out of a felony and confiscation of one's property.

So, what can the Homeland Security Secretary do to affect gun ownership? We've already had rumblings about some rather . . . startling definitions of what constitutes a "homegrown terrorist," and Napolitano might be tempted to make them more "startling" still. Dare to utter a quote of Jefferson's "tree of liberty" line, and you could find yourself characterized as the next Timothy McVeigh.

If it comes to that, some may decide that if they're going to prison, it won't be for merely talking about refreshing the tree of liberty.

If this be treason . . .

III