Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) is pretty good on Second Amendment issues, but a recent comment about the right to carry indicates she may need a little education on the right of the people to keep and bear arms.
Spartz is facing misdemeanor charges for accidentally bringing a gun in her carry-on bag through security at Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia back in June. It's a stupid mistake, and one that Spartz should have caught before she entered the airport, but instead of simply admitting she goofed, she told constituents at a town hall in Indiana that members of Congress should have special privileges when it comes to the right to carry.
U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz, who was arrested in late June at a Washington airport, said Tuesday that "Congress people should probably be allowed to carry a gun anywhere, especially in Virginia.”
According to the Transportation Security Administration, officers found a .380-caliber firearm in Spartz’s carry-on bag during screening June 28 at Dulles International Airport.
Security officers took possession of the unloaded gun.
Spartz, R-Indiana, was charged under Virginia law with illegally carrying a weapon inside an airport terminal. The misdemeanor charge is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
“Criminal activity is bad in Washington, and there is no security for Congress people,” Spartz said Tuesday during a town hall meeting.
You know who else doesn't get security provided for them? We the People.
Members of Congress are able to lawfully carry in some portions of the U.S. Capitol building, unlike their staffers or visitors. And Spartz can also apply for and receive a non-resident carry permit from the D.C. police if she chooses. Virginia recognizes concealed carry licenses issued by the state of Indiana, so Spartz can also lawfully carry in the Old Dominion so long as she has a valid Indiana license.
I don't know much about Spartz, though I appreciate her votes in support of our right to keep and bear arms. Hopefully she was just kidding when she said that congresscritters like herself should have special dispensation to carry in places where average citizens are prohibited from doing so, but if that was a serious statement then she needs to walk it back as quickly as possible.
To her credit, Spartz does appear to recognize that ordinary citizens can fall prey to the same law she's accused of violating.
Spartz said she is waiting to see what happens in the courts and has hired an attorney.
“It was unfortunate,” she said, noting that she wonders “how people that don’t have the money pay for an attorney or fine."
Well, if they don't have the money for an attorney then they should be able to get access to a public defender. As for paying a fine, both Fairfax and Loudon County (Dulles International Airport is located in both counties, and it's unclear in which county Spartz's case has been filed) offer payment plans.
The bigger questions are whether it should be a misdemeanor offense to inadvertently bring a gun into the secured area of an airport, along with whether prosecutors should have used their discretion and not pursued charges against the congresswoman or others in similar situations. I think there's a case to be made that the interests of justice aren't being served by prosecuting Spartz. Frankly, that's a much better argument than suggesting that representatives and senators should have special privileges when it comes to our right to carry.
