Independent voices from the TWT Communities
The House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution Friday that expresses the sense of Congress that active duty military living or stationed in the District of Columbia should have the right to carry a gun. The measure sponsored by Rep. Phil Gingrey, Georgia Republican, was passed by voice vote as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, which authorizes the Pentagon’s budget for 2014.
Emily Miller has done it again, this time with her fascinating four-part series concerning Army 1st Sgt. Matthew Corrigan ("Breaking doors and the Constitution," Commentary, Wednesday). Bravo. This is the type of thorough investigative journalism America should expect from all media.
Army 1st Sgt. Matthew Corrigan learned the hard way that the District of Columbia doesn't believe it has to abide by the Constitution like the 50 states do. For nearly 40 years, the nation's capital completely ignored the Second Amendment.
The D.C. government's refusal to recognize the full meaning of the Second Amendment has serious consequences for those who put their lives on the line to uphold the Constitution. First Sgt. Matthew Corrigan fought insurgents in Iraq with weapons provided by the U.S. Army, but the nation's capital threw him in jail for two weeks because he had failed to register three personal guns and some ammunition.
While Army 1st Sgt. Matthew Corrigan slept inside his Northwest Washington home, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) response teams were gathering outside.
Washington's Metropolitan Police Department is using the city's pointless firearm registration mandate to harass, arrest and jail servicemen.
"When I was secured, a warrant could have been obtained," Sgt. Corrigan said. "When I offered not to give my consent to enter my place, a warrant could have been obtained. When the first weapon in plain view was allegedly seen, a warrant could have been obtained. ... During each of these incidents what was the exigency that prevented a warrant from being obtained?"
The conditions in protective custody turned out to be worse than among the general population, he said.
