A disturbed man fired shots at Ft. Worth City Development Director Bob Riley yesterday morning.  He was apparently well known to city employees, as he’d been there frequently to complain about various imagined issues.  Because of this, the city is now considering ways to increase security, like installing metal detectors.

I suppose they may need to do something, although I think metal detectors might be a bit overboard.  Anyhow, what really set me off was this gem from Ft. Worth City Council member Wendy Davis:

City leaders say they know state laws prohibit guns from being taken into government meetings, courts and court offices. But concealed handguns—if the owner has a permit—are allowed in other areas of government buildings.

Councilwoman Davis said that’s something that should change.

“We need to lobby back at the state Legislature and see what in the world happened to make this law happen and how we can get it repealed,” she said.

I cannot find words sufficient to convey just how sick and tired I am of being treated like a criminal by these blissninny idiots any time some fool with a gun shoots at a city employee.  I consider it an insult to law-abiding gun owners everywhere, and especially to CHL holders, who have been proven to be among the most law-abiding members of society in the state.  To lump CHL-holders into the same ilk as these criminals just shows that Ms. Davis has no clue as to what she’s talking about.  Perhaps it’s time that we went on the offensive and started suing people who slander CHL holders.  We need to start doing something to let idiots like Davis know that we’re sick and tired of this. 

There’s also an interesting bit of omission and phrasing later in this same article:

On Wednesday, officials said they didn’t know if Ray Redding—who is accused of firing a gun at City Development Director Bob Riley—held a concealed handgun license.

This seems disingenuous at best, since the local TV station knew that this guy has a felony conviction in his past (he pled guilty to a 3rd Degree Felony prohibited weapons charge in 1994).  He also has a long history of drug arrests, all of which would prohibit him from having a CHL.  It seems like the city should be aware of this, given that he was arrested at the scene and they should have looked this up.  And even if the city “officials” couldn’t be arsed to check into this before insinuating that he did have a CHL, the reporter could have fact checked it by looking up his criminal record on the DPS public criminal records site or with Public Data.  But the omission and phrasing allows for the continuation of the subtle linkage between violent scum and law-abiding gun owners. 

And reporters and politicans wonder why gun owners don’t trust them?  Obtuse pricks…