Posted on 04/28/2007 4:32:07 AM PDT by WayneH
WASHINGTON--Authorities dropped charges yesterday against an aide to Virginia Sen. Jim Webb who carried a loaded gun into the U.S. Capitol complex.
"After reviewing and analyzing all of the evidence in the case, we do not believe the essential elements of the crime of carrying a pistol without a license can be proved beyond a reasonable doubt," said U.S. Attorney Jeff Taylor, top prosecutor in the District of Columbia.
Webb senior aide Phillip Thompson, 45, of Stafford County, was arrested on March 26 after Capitol Police spotted the loaded pistol and two other loaded magazines in a briefcase being scanned by an X-ray machine at the entrance of the Russell Senate office building.
Thompson told the officer at the building's entrance that the weapon belonged to Webb.
The senator said later he did not give Thompson the gun but refused to say whether it was his. Webb told reporters Thompson had carried the gun into the building "completely inadvertently."
District of Columbia law prohibits carrying a handgun or concealed weapon without a license.
Like this is a surprise
Just another examples that the rules don’t apply to the “ruling class”. Minimum should have been a plea baragin with a fine and community service.
Translation:..the fix is in
Not that I'm a fan of this law, but if he (a) had a pistol and (b) did not have a license the case would seem pretty clearcut.
Nothing to see, here... move along... same with Sandy Burglar... keep moving...
re: crime of carrying a pistol without a license can be proved beyond a reasonable doubt
Huh? You show up at a checkpoint with a weapon that you don’t declare but is found as part of the security check and you don’t have and have never had a ‘license’ for the weapon.
I have nothing but contempt for members of Congress, both houses, and their weenie staffs. They would pass a great many fewer laws if they had to abide by everything they pass that we have to obey.
Oh sure, he did have a loaded pistol and several loaded mags. And he did attempt to carry it into the Senate office building, where they have x-ray machines to prevent just such a carrying. And he did carry it in DC, where such carrying is not allowed without a license, which is impossible for average people to get.
But you know, this is a Senator's aide and a Senator's pistol. The facts simply cannot be ascertained in a case like this.
” Nothing to see, here... “
The surprise is that this got ‘reported’ at all...
(contrast with the probable media howling-pack had this been a Republican aide carrying a Republican’s weapon....)
“we do not believe the essential elements of the crime of carrying a pistol without a license can be proved beyond a reasonable doubt,” said U.S. Attorney Jeff Taylor, top prosecutor in the District of Columbia.”
Huh? Uh....Mr. Jeff Taylor, the so-called “top” prosecuture in the District of Columbia needs to be fired.
No sh!t. You or I would still be sitting in jail waiting for our prison sentence.
U.S. Attorney Jeff Taylor was appointed by Alberto Gonzalez in September of ‘06. It figures...he can’t prosecute a man smuggling a gun into the Capitol, and his boss can’t prosecute coyotes smuggling people into the country. But we are paying both their paychecks for their lousy work.
Fine. This should be cited as precedent by future defendants.
Yep, the ol’ fixaroo was in.
This involves a Democrat, after all. One of the anointed.
Another lousy hypocrite who arrogates to himself that which he would deny to the rest of us.
You forgot one point... had this been a Republican, the stories would have begun: “The nightmarish experience at Virginia Tech failed to sway one prosecutor, who insiders say cut a deal for a Republican aide smuggling a gun into the Capitol building....” The media would be running pieces on how the same “gun culture” that caused the VA Tech massacre now lets this Republican staffer walk free.
Exactly
Thanks for setting me straight. I was off on a partisan witch hunt there for a minute, but I feel better now...
My head just exploded in tiny little pieces. I tried to get the duct tape, but it was too late...........
1) The transport of the gun in Virginia was perfectly legal.
2) Once Webb had been dropped off at the airport and the car crossed the 14th Street bridge into DC, the gun was covered by DC peaceable journey provisions (let’s not debate about whether the mags were separate from the gun, etc., that’s not really the point). The absence of a DC handgun license is irrelevant to peaceable journey, in fact is directed at those *without* a DC license and who are “just passing through”.
3) Once Thompson drove into the federally controlled Capitol parking lot, he was under jurisdiction of the Capitol Police and the Senate rules as administered by the Senate Sargent at Arms. Transporting a firearm by legislators or their staff on Capitol grounds is permitted under Senate rules.
There’s no there, there.
Hmmm...interesting info. I hadn’t heard that before, but it makes sense. Thanks for the posting it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.