Judge rips sheriff for rejecting gun permit
In Iowa, Osceola County Sheriff Douglas Weber was reprimanded by a federal judge for refusing to issue a concealed weapons permit to conservative activist Paul Dorr. The reason? Many Osceola County residents were putt off by Mr. Dorr’s conservative opinions.
Sheriffs should be upholding the Constitution, not passing judgment on political free speech. It’s outrageous that Sheriff Weber denied Mr. Dorr’s right to self-defense for exercising his First Amendment rights.
It was wrong for Osceola County Sheriff Douglas Weber to deny Paul Dorr of Ocheyedan a permit to carry a concealed weapon three years ago, according to a court ruling issued Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Mark Bennett also ordered Weber to successfully complete a court-approved course on the U.S. Constitution within five months.
“In denying (Dorr) a concealed weapons permit, Sheriff Weber single-handedly hijacked the First Amendment and nullified its freedoms and protections,” Bennett wrote in the ruling.
Anger over the sheriff’s denial of the gun permit was a factor in inspiring some grass-roots activists to push for changes to Iowa’s weapons law. Starting Jan. 1, a new law requires sheriffs to issue gun permits except under a narrow set of circumstances.
Bennett ruled that Weber’s denial of Dorr’s gun permit in 2007 trampled his free speech rights because the sheriff was retaliating against Dorr for publicly protesting, passing out leaflets and writing letters to newspaper editors on a variety of topics.
“The court finds a tsunami, a maelstrom, an avalanche, of direct uncontroverted evidence in Sheriff Weber’s own testimony to conclude beyond all doubt that he unquestionably violated the First Amendment rights of … Paul Dorr,” Bennett wrote in the decision.
“This is a great reminder that the First Amendment protects the sole individual who may be a gadfly, kook, weirdo, nut job, whacko and spook, with the same force of protection as folks with more majoritarian and popular views,” he added.
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All police and politicians are sworn in with an oath to uphold and defend the law and the Constitution. Most have never read the Constitution and there are too many laws even on a state level for anyone to be able to remember 10% thereof. So they just make up the law as they go along and the judges usually back their play.
Kudos to the judge and a Bronx raspberry to the sheriff. The big bad sheriff thinks he’s Wyatt Earp and acts accordingly by being anti-constitutional. If he doesn’t like the second amendment and stomps on citizens who do,then why doesn’t he move to Cuba or China where he’d fit right in. I’d be the first to buy him a one way plane ticket.
Voters of this idiot’s county;throw the bum out in your next election,you won’t miss him.
New Mexico has very “liberal” ccw laws. And recently the local Police was taken to court for demanding a man carrying openly legally exit a theater, turn over his weapon, and be handcuffed “for everyones safety”. Citizen won, cops had no right to demand his weapon or handcuff him based on another theater patrons paranoia, especially in light of New Mexicos open carry law. Kudos to the U.S. judge. Good call!
In AZ we have now made the CCP obsolete.
The Governor signed into law last spring a measure to allow any Law abiding citizen to carry concealed without restriction.
The only limitation would be restrictions posted by local business owners.
Of course, I’m sure you would not be welcomed to bring your “piece” into the courthouse. Heck, can’t even get a pocket knife in there.
You have got to be kidding me.
The right to bear arms is a “right” as ruled by the Supreme Court “Heller vs Dc”, “McDonauld vs Chicago”. Now we have politicians putting their spin on what to interpret. This zipperhead cop should be fired. Not ordered to take college classes. Every American knows how to read the constitution. “INDIVIDUAL” right. Where is this zipper head cop missing the boat. I didn’t bring him up to raise and neither did a judge.
The “right” to bear arms is an “individual” right and this screw head cop thinks he is smarter than our founding fathers. Vote him out!!!! Let him drown in his own thoughts. Let me live in mine.
Now we praise a judge for doing what our constitution plainly spells out? C’mon America!!!! I’m not letting a cop with a personal agenda run my life. Let him come into my house uninvited and I will teach him constitution 101. He doesn’t have an OPINION, no one does. But I do.