Should federal prosecutors be allowed to pack heat? It’s a good question given the recent assassinations of a District Attorney and his assistant in Kaufman County, Texas. While not federal prosecutors, the recent assassinations illustrate that prosecutors have become a target for violence, particularly in federal cases where drug cartels – or terrorists – may be involved.
Recently, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) sent a letter to Obama Attorney General Eric Holder, seeking clarification on federal policy about the ability of federal prosecutors carrying firearms on federal property. The Washington Post covered this development in Friday's paper, but buried the item on page A10. What's more, within the story itself, reporter Ed O'Keefe buried in the next-to-last paragraph the fact that the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys, which represent federal prosecutors, are supportive of the initiative that would permit their clients to carry firearms.
Currently, the Department of Justice virtually bans their prosecutors from carrying firearms, but since the Texas assassination, the murder of a prison chief in Colorado, and the fact that drug prosecutions in general are becoming increasingly more dangerous, you would think DOJ might take this measure seriously. And while it remains to be seen if the media will give due attention to the wishes of federal prosecutors to be able to arm themselves, it's highly unlikely that liberal outlets that are perpetually pushing for more gun restrictions will give more attention to a policy proposal that underscores the notion that the only thing stopping a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun.
