No Exemptions

Hot Air is carrying a story that in the rush to "do something" about gun violence, New York did not exempt the police from its magazine ban of seven (7) rounds.  Cool.

I'd bet that all the New York cops who went to work last night, and are working today, are probably in violation of the new state law that limits magazine capacity to seven rounds.  That's excellent.

Mental health experts say a new tougher New York state gun control law might interfere with treatment of potentially dangerous people and even discourage them from seeking help. The law would require therapists, doctors, nurses and social workers to tell government authorities if they believe a patient is likely to harm himself or others. That could lead to revoking the patient’s gun permit and seizing any guns… “The people who arguably most need to be in treatment and most need to feel free to talk about these disturbing impulses, may be the ones we make least likely to do so,” said the director of law, ethics and psychiatry at Columbia. “They will either simply not come, or not report the thoughts that they have.” “If people with suicidal or homicidal impulses avoid treatment for fear of being reported in this way, they may be more likely to act on those impulses,” he said.

Oh, that's great! The mental health professionals say that the law sucks, and the police are in violation of the magazine ban.

I, as always, believe that the police should follow the same laws as the general public in their respective jurisdictions.  There shouldn't be any exemptions for police as far as firearms are concerned.  I've been a cop for a lot of years and most of my early career was conducted with a six-shot revolver.  Two speed loaders on my belt, for a total of eighteen rounds.  The only time I felt undergunned was when I needed a shotgun.

But, the big lesson here is the rush to judgement, the need to "do something".  Often what is done in haste is regretted at leisure. New laws should be enacted with due consideration, vigorous debate, and the full legislative process.