Little mention was made by the president Wednesday of criminal control, such as longer prison sentences or more robust border protection (currently 26.5% of inmates in U.S. Bureau of Prisons' custody are classified as other than United States citizens). The emphasis instead was on making it harder and more stigmatizing for law-abiding citizens to procure and own firearms, an inalienable right enshrined in our Bill of Rights. Recall William Spengler, the ex-con who less than a month ago ambushed firefighters responding to a house fire, murdering two firemen before killing himself? Something tells me that as the president's advisors brainstormed the "optics" of his public appearance yesterday the idea of having the president flanked by surviving spouses and children of those brave first responders wasn't considered. Why? Because Spengler had been convicted in 1981 of killing his grandmother with a hammer and he was released from prison less than 18 years later. And existing law at the...(Read Full Post)