RUTHFULLY YOURS

Only a week after launching her presidential campaign decrying global warming during a snowstorm in Minneapolis, the woman who wants to claim the mantle of a “moderate” Democrat has beclowned herself with a nonsensical statement.  Even worse, as a veteran prosecutor — county attorney (D.A.) in the most populous county in Minnesota, responsible for all criminal prosecution — she missed a point squarely within her area of purported professional competence.

Screen grab from Twitter.

The Hill posted a video to Twitter of her campaigning in Eau Claire, Wisconsin (friendly territory not too far from the Minnesota border), claiming that the mass shooting in Aurora, Illinois shows that “It is time to put sensible gun control legislation in place.”

One problem: the shooter in Aurora was already prohibited by existing laws from having a firearm.  The problem was that existing laws weren’t enforced.  Via The Daily Wire:

During a Saturday press conference, Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman said that the suspect had previously been arrested on six separate occasions by the Aurora Police Department, “including arrests for traffic and domestic battery-related issues.”

He was last arrested by the department “in 2008 for violating an order of protection.”  However, he was most recently arrested “in 2017 by the Oswego, Illinois Police Department for disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property.”

The suspect obtained a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card in January 2014.  Two months later, he purchased a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun.

“During the finger-printing and background process” for a conceal and carry permit, “it was discovered that [the suspect] had a felony conviction for aggravated assault out of Mississippi,” Ziman stated.

She added:

The date of that conviction was August 3, 1995. It should be noted that this conviction would not necessarily have shown up on a criminal background check conducted for a FOID card.  Once this felony conviction was discovered, the offender’s conceal and carry permit was rejected, and his FOID card was revoked by the Illinois State Police.

During the press conference, a reporter asked the following question: “Does the series of events relating to the gun license and the revocation of his FOID card mean that he was in illegal possession of that gun?”

Ziman replied: “That is absolutely correct, yes.”

As a former prosecutor, Klobuchar should (but apparently doesn’t) understand that when laws go unenforced, adding new laws aimed at the same end will do no good.  That she fails to understand this, or maybe was unaware of the situation of the Aurora shooter already being prohibited from having a gun but not being held to the existing law, does not speak well of her intelligence or preparation for comment on it.