Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Holocaust Museum Shooting Today

Holocaust Museum Shooting Today

From June 10, 2009 CNN:
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The suspect in Wednesday's shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is James von Brunn, an 88-year-old white supremacist from Maryland, two law enforcement officials told CNN.

Gunfire at the entrance of the museum wounded at least two people Wednesday, emergency officials said.

A private security guard and the shooting suspect were wounded, according to officials of the D.C. police.

Sgt. David Schlosser, a spokesman for U.S. Park Police, told reporters a man armed with a "long gun" entered the museum at 12:50 p.m. and fired at a security officer, and both were wounded in the exchange of gunfire.

"My understanding is that two other security officers at the museum returned gunfire at the man that had entered the museum," Schlosser said. Video Watch Schlosser tell what's known so far »

Schlosser said he didn't know exactly what kind of firearm the man had and whether the shooting was before or after he passed through a metal detector.

That couldn't have happened--DC still has very strict gun control laws!

More seriously: when I took my family to DC some years ago, we went to the Holocaust Museum--and they had a very large and obvious sign at the entrance warning that concealed weapon permits from other states were not valid in DC, and that anyone found with a weapon on them (as they passed through the metal detectors) would be arrested and charged. This was the only place in DC where I saw such a sign, and I thought it was a bit odd.

Of course, it also meant that the shooter knew that he was attacking a place where he was guaranteed that only uniformed personnel would be able to shoot back. Another triumph of gun-free zones.

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