Fresno Mayor Lee Brand (R) has a concealed carry permit and carries his concealed handgun on the job but opposes a measure that would allow city workers with permits to carry their guns as well.
The Fresno Bee confirmed this on July 31.
On July 30 Breitbart News reported that Brand opposes Councilman Garry Bredefeld’s (R-Dist. 6) proposal to allow all city workers with concealed carry permits to carry while on the job. The Bee quoted Bredefeld saying, “We have code enforcement officers and other employees working out in the community, and some of them have been threatened. They should have the opportunity to protect themselves and potentially protect others.”
Bredefeld also cited the April 18, 2017, shooting in which Kori Ali Muhammad allegedly killed three people on the streets of Fresno. He suggested the attack was one of many “instances where people with a CCW (concealed-carry weapon) license have been able to prevent such loss of life.”
To Bredefeld’s point, on March 22, 2015, a concealed carry permit holder stopped a mass shooting in a Philadelphia barbershop. The permit holder was walking by and ran inside when he heard gunshots. He was able to shot and kill the gunman before any innocents were harmed. Moreover, Breitbart News reported that an Uber driver with a concealed carry permit stopped a mass shooting in Chicago on April 17, 2015. The Chicago Tribune reported that the driver was watching a group of people when a man allegedly “began firing into the crowd.” The driver exited his vehicle and opened fire, wounding the suspect and ending the alleged mass shooting.
And there are myriad other examples that could be added. The point is, concealed carriers stop crime and oftentimes they stop an attacker in his or her tracks.
Mayor Brand must know this, because “on occasion [he] carries his gun while conducting city business.” But he opposes Bredefeld’s effort to ensure all city workers with concealed permits enjoy the same sense of self-protection, the same ability to defend their lives and dignity.
As George Orwell wrote in Animal Farm, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” It appears Brand is among those who are “more equal.”
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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