Capitol Police Shot Protecting Gung-Ho NRA Congressman

by Randolph T. Holhut

The 18-year veterans of the Capitol Police died on the afternoon of July 24 at the hands of a madman with a handgun. It was proof that even a mundane assignment such as guarding a side entrance to the Capitol building is not without peril; that every law enforcement officer is never totally sure whether today is the day that they might die in the service of others.

But the sad irony to this shooting was that Gibson and Chestnut died protecting the life of a Congressman -- House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas) -- who is a vocal supporter of the National Rifle Association and the rest of the gun lobby that believes that any infringement of the God-given right to keep and bear arms is an abomination.

DeLay opposed the Brady Bill -- the mandatory five-day waiting period for handgun purchases -- and worked hard in an unsuccessful attempt to appeal it. He opposed a ban on certain types of assault weapons. Nothing, not even the thought of 40,000 people a year in America killed by handguns, could sway DeLay from his belief that guns were good.

DeLay and the rest of the Republican leadership in Congress promised the NRA it would work to water or repeal the various gun control initiatives passed in previous years.

"The last thing in the world we would want is for (the NRA) to be upset at us because we didn't keep our word," a DeLay spokesman said not long ago.

It was just dumb luck that Russell Weston chose the entrance near DeLay's offices in his attempt to shoot his way into the Capitol building. He had a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver and a pocket full of extra ammunition. Even though he had a history of threatening government officials, even though he was an ex-mental patient who had been institutionalized and was off and on medication for years, Weston still had an Illinois gun ownership authorization card.

It was credit to Chestnut and Gibson that more people didn't die in Weston's rampage. In Gibson's case, he was on DeLay's personal security detail and was the last line of defense that stood between the people in DeLay's office and Weston.

DeLay and several of his staffers were in the office and they dove for cover as Gibson and Weston traded shots in the doorway. People who were used to being in a secure environment with metal detectors and armed guards suddenly found themselves as vulnerable as the kids in Jonesboro, Arkansas, where four schoolgirls were gunned down earlier this year.

If a shootout in front of the office of one of the gun lobby's most reliable politicians wasn't ironic enough, how about this: the House Judiciary Committee was in the process of considering a bill that would create a national standard for carrying a concealed weapon. The committee temporarily halted its work in deference to the slain officers.

When they get back to work, they will consider legislation that would allow any person with a permit to carry a firearm in one state to also have that permit honored by the 29 other states that allow concealed weapons. It would also allow any current or former law enforcement officer to carry a concealed handgun. Just what the nation with the highest homicide rate in the industrialized world needs -- a law to make it easier to carry a weapon.

Now, I know that gun ownership doesn't automatically equal crime and that guns in and of themselves aren't evil. Here in Vermont, gun ownership is nearly universal. Hunting is still a big part of the rural culture. But for all the guns in the state, we have the third lowest homicide rate in the country. Only New Hampshire and Iowa are lower.

The key is responsible gun ownership. If you want a hunting license in Vermont, you are required to attend and pass a hunting safety course so you at least have some idea of how to safely handle a rifle or shotgun.

The same ought to be true for owning a firearm. The Brady Bill is an attempt to weed out the criminals from the law-abiding who wish to buy a gun. But there also should be training courses and certification, similar to the hunter safety course, for gun owners. If you have to take a test to be licensed to drive a car, why should you not have to take a test to use something far deadlier?

I realize there are those who believe that banning guns and reducing brutality in the popular culture would reduce violence in our country. But those are quick fixes, and neither one would be effective unless the underlying problems of our nation are addressed. That's a not-so-quick fix.

We ought to look beyond gun ownership to the real reason why our society is so violent. When people are dehumanized, fearful of the future, quick to blame others for their troubles and are convinced that their own lives are meaningless, they are more likely to kill.

The politicians said all the right things about John Gibson and Jacob Chestnut at the memorial service in the Capitol rotunda. But if they really want to ensure that their deaths weren't in vain, they ought to do something constructive to make sure that there will be fewer ceremonies like that in the future.