Seattle was second on a list of ten cities where gun thefts from automobiles have allegedly spiked, in a story published by The Trace earlier this week, an online magazine that has received financing from billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety, but is that accurate?
Curiously, The Trace based its “Top Ten” gun theft list on information from local police departments, but Liberty Park Press checked with the Seattle Police Department and there is apparently no easy way to get that information short of a public records request. The information does not appear to be posted on the department’s data page.
Also, Seattle is seventh on a list of the 20 “snobbiest” cities, according to the online Housely.
Alan Gottlieb, founder and executive vice president of the Second Amendment Foundation in neighboring Bellevue said one reason for what The Trace said was an 80 percent spike in car gun thefts in 2014-2015 could be the proliferation of so-called “gun-free zones.” Seattle has a bunch of them, including both sports stadiums and the connected convention center. Scores of private businesses were encouraged to prohibit firearms on their premises by former anti-gun Mayor Mike McGinn, and current Mayor Ed Murray has taken no action to reverse this.
Murray was a solid gun control vote when he was in state Legislature before becoming mayor. The Trace story said gun thefts from cars went up 80 percent in 2014-2015.
“American gun owners are being systematically discriminated against for simply exercising their constitutionally-protected right to bear arms,” Gottlieb said. “Ultimately, honest citizens are being victimized by such restrictions because not only are they vulnerable to criminal attack because of these unilateral disarmament laws, they stand an increasing chance of having their property stolen. The bottom line is that whether you own a gun or not, these laws make us all less safe.”
Guns acquired via theft immediately wind up in criminal hands and there is no background check involved. One way or another, critics say, gun control efforts invariably disarm the wrong people.
As for being “snobby,” the city evidently earned the honor:
As the birthplace of Starbucks, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Seattle found its way on to this list. After all, if there’s one place that is known for having a high number of somewhat snobby customers, it’s Starbucks. However, the popular coffee chain isn’t the only well-known company that is head quartered in Seattle. The city is also home to Nordstrom and Amazon as well as a high number of theaters and art galleries.”
Meanwhile, Tuesday evening, Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly took the gloves off against Washington Gov. Jay Inslee over the governor’s position on detaining illegal aliens. O’Reilly went so far as to label the veteran Democrat a “dunderhead” and “idiot.” Inslee has steadfastly defended “sanctuary” policies and was supportive when fellow Democrat Attorney General Bob Ferguson took the Trump administration to court over President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration sanctions. This week the president rescinded and replaced that order.
Inslee declared during a Feb. 23 press event that “Washington will not be a willing participant in promoting or carrying out mean-spirited policies that break up families and compromise our national security and importantly, our community safety.”
A controversy that got national attention developed last month when a Washington State trooper was put under investigation for assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities about a man who was involved in a traffic accident in Pierce County, who happened to be in the country illegally.
According to the Tacoma News Tribune, that man’s name flagged a warning from ICE. He reportedly had a previous felony drug conviction and had been deported four times between 1996 and 2000, the newspaper reported.
Under Murray’s watch, homeless people appear to have migrated to Seattle, and the city is pushing to establish a “safe injection” facility for heroin users. There are numerous homeless camps, where people are living in squalor and crimes including rape and murder. Now the mayor wants to tax homeowners to support programs for the homeless.
Related:
Washington’s Liberal AG’s Anti-gun Agenda Takes Two Embarrassing Hits
‘Smart’ Guns Damaged by Dumb Rhetoric?
