Gun control activists often latch onto any story of an irresponsible gun owner losing their firearm as proof that law-abiding citizens as a whole are too careless to carry guns. We’re held accountable for every mistake made by anyone who ever carried a firearm legally. Or illegally, even.

Of course, by that logic, even the police shouldn’t be permitted to carry guns.

Deanna Cantrell issued a video apology Wednesday night for inadvertently leaving her gun behind in a stall at the restaurant on Los Osos Valley Road, where she’d stopped to eat lunch at about noon.

She realized her mistake within minutes and went back to get the weapon, but it wasn’t there, a city press release stated.

Cantrell obtained video from the business, located next to Target, that showed a man entering the same restroom minutes after she’d left, according to the city’s press release issued at about 10:20 p.m. Wednesday.

Police are asking the public’s assistance in locating the man who may be in possession of the stolen firearm. He is described as balding, and was wearing a black jacket, lime green and blue striped shorts, and sunglasses.

Cantrell acknowledged her actions were “irresponsible and careless,” adding she has “no excuses for my actions.”

Now, the firearm has been recovered – luckily for Cantrell.

Chief Cantrell’s actions were irresponsible. She, at least, admits as much. As a public servant, she’s held to a higher standard than the average citizen, and for good reason. After all, police officers are empowered to do things that most of us have no business doing.

However, where is the anti-gun outcry? Where are the gun grabbers holding up the chief’s actions as proof that guns can’t be trusted in police officers’ hands?

Oh, there isn’t one? Shocking, I know.

The truth is that there are more guns in the hands of average citizens than there are police officers in this country. Despite that, incidents like this tend to be pretty rare. They happen, yes. However, the firearm community is also quick to condemn this kind of irresponsibility from one of our own. We don’t tolerate it, and we make it a point to use incidents like these to educate our fellow gun owners.

Chief Cantrell screwed up, but her mistake isn’t indicative of every police officer. It’s indicative of her on this given day.

If we’re to be judged by a handful of mistakes–and we definitely are–then shouldn’t police as well?

Of course, there are a handful of people who do want police to be disarmed. That has little to do with gun control and more to do with thug empowerment efforts masquerading as police reform. While those people may also support gun control, it’s not the drive behind their efforts.

No, gun control activists tell us we don’t need guns because we have the police, then use a handful of isolated incidents to argue that we can’t be trusted with guns anyway.

Well, by that metric, neither can the police.