Barack Obama is an ardently anti-gun politician, and voted to allow the prosecution of citizens who defended themselves with guns in their own homes. Given that fact, it is interesting how recent news events show Obama takes his own security very seriously, at the expense of his neighbors and ordinary citizens:
Obama’s Security Concerns Apparently Trump His Neighbors’ Property Interests
The Chicago Tribune reported how Barack Obama’s security arrangements have left his neighbors unable to park in front of their own homes. Obama’s secret service security has erected concrete barriers and steel barricades, preventing his neighbors in Chicago’s Kenwood neighborhood from parking near their homes. For example, his neighbor Katrina McPheters, had to walk three blocks to her car with her three small children, instead of being able to park near her home. The older mother of another neighbor, Tamieka Smith, had to park 4 blocks away to visit her daughter.
Obama certainly needs security, however I believe it is wrong for him to harm his neighbor’s property interests in this way. I think it would be more reasonable for Obama to relocate himself, rather than have his neighbors unable to park their cars, enjoy the public way, and be treated like security threats. He chose to run for office while living in a high density area with street parking, and if someone must bear the inconvenience here, it should not be his neighbors. Perhaps the more considerate thing for Obama to do would be to temporarily relocate himself from such a high density and difficult to secure area, rather than forcing his many neighbors to cope with his security arrangements.
Obama’s Security Concerns Apparently Trump The Rights Of an Ordinary Citizen On A Public Street
In another news report, a citizen by the name of John Noble was lawfully and openly carrying a pistol for self defense, and passing out fliers in support of the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. Because Mr. Noble was passing out these fliers across the street from a Democratic rally which Obama would attend, he was arrested and his gun was seized by the police. He was then told that misdemeanor charges will be filed against him for disorderly conduct. Note that openly carrying a handgun is perfectly lawful in the area where John Noble was passing out fliers. Also note that Mr. Noble was not inside any security perimeter, but was instead across the street. Finally note that the pistol was in a retention holster, which prevents the gun from being removed without pressing a secret release.
Obama certainly needs security. However his interest in security does not mean that it is right to disarm and arrest an innocent man who is across the street from the security perimeter, and has done nothing illegal or threatening. Also as a practical matter, a handgun such as John Noble’s 9mm pistol is not a long ranged weapon. It would be an entirely different story if Mr. Noble had been setting up a rifle with a scope, but a holstered handgun across the street from the security line is just not a threat.
The Deeper Problem
The real problem here is how Obama has demonstrated that he holds a hypocritical double standard. He fears for his safety and as a result has allowed security arrangements for himself that infringe the rights of his neighbors and ordinary citizens on the street. However he did not want the law abiding citizens of Illinois to be able to defend themselves with a gun in their home. Sadly, Obama is indicating that he feels he should be protected by armed bodyguards that can put up barricades and disarm law abiding citizens at will, but ordinary people should be left vulnerable to a murderer, home invader, rapist, or robber.