No Guns for Anyone - Sheriff Whetsel and Gun Control

A local talk radio host uses the catchy phrase "Guns for everybody!" regularly in his broadcast. He recently requested more information about why incumbent democratic Sheriff of Oklahoma County John Whetsel should be replaced. Perhaps "No Guns for Anyone" should be yet another reason.

Sheriff Whetsel proudly notes his status as a past-president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). At present, there are a number of resolutions from this organization, adopted at the 119th Conference in San Diego (October 3rd, 2012). Among them are:

Prohibition of Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW) on College and University Campuses; UPS.002.a12
Support for ATF Requirement to Report Multiple Sales of Long Guns; FC.030.a12

These are current resolutions. It might be a good idea for the press to ask Sheriff Whetsel if he supports these resolutions. Most Oklahomans - and certainly most Republicans - strongly oppose these efforts at gun control.

Sheriff Whetsel was President of the IACP for the 1994-1995 term. The oldest resolutions listed on the IACP website are from the 103rd, in Phoenix, Arizona (1996) - called for THIS resolution against the federal liberalization of Concealed Carry Weapon laws:

WHEREAS, forty-two (42) states currently have laws allowing private citizens to carry concealed weapons for protection or employment, if the individual is not proven to be either a convicted felon or mentally incompetent and meets certain training requirements, and one (1) state allows any citizen to carry concealed weapons; and

WHEREAS, seven (7) states presently prohibit the carrying of concealed weapons by all private citizens; and

WHEREAS, there is an effort to liberalize state’s CCW laws by enacting federal legislation, which would pre-empt current state CCW laws, with the argument that citizens wish to carry guns for self-protection, further arguing that the arming of private citizens will result in dramatically lowering the national crime rate by deterring criminals from victimizing these law-abiding citizens; and

WHEREAS, a majority of law enforcement professionals and an overwhelming majority of Americans do not support this theory; and

WHEREAS, individual states differ greatly in their CCW permit eligibility requirements, such as gun training, gun proficiency, citizenship/residency status, background investigations, and other related matters; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), duly assembled at its 103rd annual conference in Phoenix, Arizona, opposes any federal legislative proposal(s) which would either pre-empt and/or mandate the liberalization of individual states’ CCW laws pertaining to the carrying of concealed weapons in other states without meeting that state’s requirements; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP convey its position of opposition to any such federal pre-emption of state laws with regard to the issuance of CCW permits and/or licenses to private citizens, to all members of Congress, and to the federal and state officials.

This conference would be very soon after Sheriff Whetsel stepped down. Together, both of these years represent a consistent and long term attack on 2nd Amendment Rights - something any Sheriff should be supporting since his primary job is to defend the Constitutional Rights of the people of his county. The most damaging document of all, and the one that directly implicates Whetsel in gun control efforts, can be seen HERE. From September 21st, 1995 - during the Presidency of John Whetsel - this document outlines a plan to  "weaken or eliminate right-to-carry legislation in state legislatures."

From the document:

At our last Executive Committee meeting in Oklahoma City,staff was directed to prepare a simple position paper andstrategy guide for members in states contemplating CCWlegislation.  Attached please find such a report.  This draftdocument has been forwarded to President Whetsel, ChiefPolisar and IACP Firearms Committee Chairman Chief ClarenceHarmon for their review.  All have given their approval andrecommend that it be shared.  If you have any initial commentson what else you would like included in the document, thiswould be a good time to bring them up.

For the full story on this under-reported story, go to Axxiom for Liberty. The linked document embedded in the larger story by Kaye Beach shows the actual plan - DEVISED IN OKLAHOMA CITY UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF SHERIFF WHETSEL - to stop Concealed Carry around the nation. Any lover of the 2nd Amendment, when informed of these facts, can no longer support John Whetsel for Sheriff.