Posted on 09/24/2006 11:38:13 AM PDT by the invisib1e hand
With Courtroom Shootouts Rising, Some Judges Are Toting Guns Beneath Their Robes
Sept. 24, 2006 — - When shots rang just outside Judge Cynthia Stevens Kent's courtroom in February 2005, she feared the worst.
As people raced for cover in the courthouse, officers sealed the courtroom and raced to get Judge Kent out through the back door -- all as the shootout continued outside.
In the bloodbath, two people were killed and four were wounded. The gunman was shot dead after a high speed chase.
Because of this horrific episode, Judge Kent carries a gun.
"After that day, I'll never make that decision again. I decided that I'll keep my gun with me. I'm a licensed gun holder, but I'll also keep it as a judge," said Kent.
So now, before she dons her robe, she checks for her Lady Smith & Wesson.
"If you're not personally responsible for taking the precautions you need to take, whether it's in your home, in your community, on the bench, for your personal security, you need to think about that," Kent said.
Threats and Shootouts On the Rise
The numbers are staggering. Threats against judges have quadrupled in the last decade. The recent scenes of courtroom gunfire have been shocking.
In March 2005, Judge Rowland Barnes and two others were killed when a rape suspect stole a court officer's gun and began firing in court.
Authorities say this year is on pace to set a record.
This June in Reno, Nev., Judge Chuck Weller was shot straight through his office window, seriously injured by a man allegedly unhappy with his divorce proceedings.
Texas, where Kent practices, is one of a handful of states that allow judges to come to court armed. Just this year, New York lawmakers paved the way for their federal judges to carry guns too.
But even with the number of threats at an all time high, there are some who argue that the idea of arming a judge is the last thing that would make a courtroom safer.
John McKillop is the President of a New York's Court Officers' Association. He says his officers are trained to deal with their own guns -- the kind of training judges do not receive.
Asked by ABC's David Muir whether a judge carrying a gun would make a courtroom safer, McKillop responded, "No, it will make it more dangerous."
Having to account for a judge's gun could make a dangerous courtroom scene even more chaotic.
"They would be facing a situation where someone else in the courtroom doesn't have the same training to interact with the officers, would be faced with that judge potentially firing shots that could injure a court officer, or possibly a member of the public," McKillop said.
Judge Kent doesn't buy it. She received ten death threats in just one year and says carrying a gun is a necessity.
"If I'm in a situation where I know it's a safe course of conduct to take, I know it, it's absolutely necessary for my defense, then absolutely I'm going to not only pull but I'm going to pull the trigger," she said.
Opponents say that could trigger new dangers in courtrooms across the country, but after scenes of brutal violence, some judges maintain they have no choice.
Copyright © 2006 ABC News Internet Ventures
I am reminded of a remark I used make when the subject of the right to bear arms came up: "if the passengers on those jets had the right to bear arms, the Twin Towers would still be standing today." A little tangential an analogy, but perhaps not.
Are some pigs more equal than others? I think since most judges are lawyers, the answer is a resounding "Yes!"
"Approach the bench? *click* I don't think so."
John McKillop is the President of a New York's Court Officers' Association. He says his officers are trained to deal with their own guns -- the kind of training judges do not receive.
Asked by ABC's David Muir whether a judge carrying a gun would make a courtroom safer, McKillop responded, "No, it will make it more dangerous."
Having to account for a judge's gun could make a dangerous courtroom scene even more chaotic.
"They would be facing a situation where someone else in the courtroom doesn't have the same training to interact with the officers, would be faced with that judge potentially firing shots that could injure a court officer, or possibly a member of the public," McKillop said.
***
Spoken like a true union man. More worried about his members' jobs than the judge's safety. Fact is the court officer cannot always protect the judge or anyone else, even though I'm sure most of them would do their best in this situation. Having someone else with a gun, particularly if the judge has the right training, can save lives.
I wonder if judges in left wing states are given rights to firearms that the great unwashed of that state don't get.
Some of the court officers association spokesman's remarks sound alot like the remarks made when the debate raged regarding letting airline pilots carry a weapon. Guess it never occurred to him that the judges might already have had weapons training or might actually take it upon themselves to get it.
Seems like a little training would be easy to organize. And fun!
She's a district judge in Texas. I'd bet she supports the RKBA, at least more than the majority of Carter/Clinton- affirmative-action-apointee-traitors-in-robes.
So if all that "security" isn't good enough for them, why is it good enough for the rest of us (at the airport, for example)?
When you have people like Cynthia McKinney able to circumvent government security, then that security is worthless.
I wonder how large o a weapon one could conceal beneath a robe like that... at least an ar15...
Up on a bench the Judge would have a good vantage point and cover.
Local judge is Vietnam-era Airborne Ranger, still in MI Reserves. I take him in a gunfight over some union "court officer" every time.
More than adequate, I would think.
On the other hand, let's not go there, please.
Get the women out of policing. They can't handle the physical demands. The rape suspect simply wrested the gun from a woman court officer. He was of trim medium build. She was a fat ass. The logic of equality is beyond all reason.
More justice sought through false equality means less justice all. The judge looking for their protection gains so at the expense of the rest of us.
I knew a judge in criminal court who carried a gun. He would take it out on the first day of trial show it to everyone and lay it in front of him on the bench. Then he would tell everyone that he expected no trouble in his courtroom.
And I suppose he didn't get any, either. :)
If I can't carry a gun in a courthouse, I don't want a judge to either. There's nothing to say the judge is more responsible than I am and it's presumptuous of him to assume so.
guns for me .....but not for thee
> Just this year, New York lawmakers paved the way for their federal judges to carry guns too. <
How is it that NY lawmakers would have say-so over FEDERAL judges?
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