There are places where we should be able to carry guns, but we can't. Even the Bruen decision said some places are too sensitive to not be a gun-free zone. I disagree, but since I like most of the decision, I'll suck it up.
Yet if sensitive places can exist, it's unsurprising that the United States Capitol is one of them.
Recently, a man was arrested for having guns outside of the building. Washington, DC is pretty anti-gun on the whole, anyway, so that's not great in and of itself, but outside of the Capitol? Well, yeah, you're going to have a bad time.
That's not all that newsworthy, in my mind.
Everything else, however, just makes this whole thing weird as hell.
The situation began Wednesday morning as Capitol police officers investigated a car parked on Pennsylvania Ave. near the Capitol building with a tricycle strapped to the roof.
Inside, some weapons — including a bow and arrow and an empty gun holster — were visible.
The vehicle’s owner was found near the north barricade of the Capitol and detained.
“This morning, USCP officers saw an unusual vehicle on Pennsylvania Avenue with a tricycle strapped to the roof,” the U.S. Capitol police said in a statement. “Upon looking closer, officers saw a bow and arrow and an empty gun holster in plain view. The owner of the vehicle was located just outside of the north barricade, and was detained for further questioning.”
As the unidentified suspect was questioned, he admitted “having guns in the vehicle, along with the bow and arrow.”
Police pulled out what looks to me like a medieval pole axe. The sword looked to be a rapier and the bow is a modern recurve. The pistol is a Smith & Wesson M&P.
So we have a tricycle, a sword, a pole axe, a modern bow and arrow, and a handgun.
Now, I'm a medieval nerd. I teach historic swordfighting as a hobby. I have a bow, and while I don't have a pole axe, it's on the list to get at some point in time.
Obviously, I have guns.
Yet I wouldn't load all of them in my car, throw a tricycle on the top--and I can't even start to get into that, though it does appear to be an adult version--and go hang out at the Capitol for some inane reason.
I mean, this sounds like the setup to a bad Saturday Night Live sketch.
There's been no mention of what the guy was doing, though police are considering charges. Was he a threat to members of Congress? Was he just passing through and happened to have a bizarre collection of weaponry on him--though personally, I think that's rather normal, but I'm weird, too--and just got caught?
We honestly don't know, and I'd like to.
However, I don't think he represented any kind of a threat, as we haven't had a lawmaker stabbed to death with a rapier in our nation's history, nor has a member of Congress ever been assassinated via archery or pole axe, so I'm inclined to think he wasn't a threat.
But, unfortunately, he's like to have to justify all of this to a judge.
Personally, I'd rather just chat with him about historic weaponry.
Again, I'm weird.
Editor’s Note: Help us continue to report the craziness in Washington, D.C.... including the nuttiness that happens inside the Capitol building.
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