Your Right of Self-Defense Subordinate to the Higher Laws of Political Power

Law is not perfect. Law enforcement isn’t perfect either. Sheriffs, prosecutors, judges and politicians act worse when you add campaign money. You already knew that, and sensible people do not expect perfection. We do, however, expect a modicum of consistency, decency and fairness.

Let me take you through the legal weeds before we get to the disgusting political details. This story starts when a three judge panel of the ninth circuit court ruled on Peruta versus San Diego. The judges said citizens have the right to defend their lives outside their home. Stated simply, the panel said sheriffs can’t arbitrarily deny armed self-defense outside the home.

That sounds simple enough.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris disagreed. She asked for that the Peruta ruling be stayed until the full court could overturn it. She claimed law enforcement needs arbitrary authority to deny licenses to citizens who have no criminal background. AG Harris claims police need arbitrary power because honest citizens could become criminals. That alone is disgusting. Believe me, I’d way rather trust my neighbors than the police.

It gets worse. The California AG is obviously wrong about distrusting honest citizens, but she is correct about one thing. Peruta probably needs to be appealed to the US Supreme Court. You see, if the ninth circuit denies the Attorney General’s appeal, then the cities and counties in the ninth circuit must comply with the Peruta decision. They must issue concealed carry licenses to the ordinary honest citizens who ask.

The problem is, the anti-gun cities and counties won’t comply with the judges ruling. Laws are only for the little people. The California Attorney General answers to the higher laws of politics and power.

Let me make this prediction, Mr. and Mrs. A. Honest Citizen of California. Go ahead and apply for your concealed carry license in San Francisco or Los Angeles. I predict you will be turned away or your application will be denied. You will have to sue your sheriff to get them to comply with the court ruling. The sheriff still won’t comply even if A. Honest Citizen wins in the lower courts. The city will deny a judge’s direct order and appeal the judge’s ruling.

You see the city and county attorneys play with taxpayer’s dollars, not their own. Compared to you, the city and county has all the time and all the money in the world to waste on legal appeals. The reason is simple. An aspiring liberal politician can’t run for state office, for Governor, Senator, or President, if they follow the law and offend their big money donors, the same donors who hate the right of self-defense. Asking liberal California politicians to comply with the law is to ask them to cut the nose off their political face. Obeying the law would end their political careers, and they can’t do it. That is why they have to appeal the court case that recognizes your civil right to self-defense.

Liberal politicians will appeal Peruta to the trial court, the district court, and the circuit court. These cities and counties will appeal the Peruta decision to the Supreme Court no matter what it costs or the ruling of the lower courts. Their appeal has nothing to do with law and even less to due with justice. They appeal the case because of politics and money. These cities are in no hurry. They can wait a hundred years while they appeal.

I hope you are not one of the million California crime victims that will bleed in disarmed silence while liberal politicians appeal and judges ponder.

There is at least one antidote to this bigoted denial of civil rights. It is both voluntary and non-violent, but that is for next week.

Until then, put not your faith in judges…or in liberal politicians.