Know Your Firearm Fondlers: State Sen. Brian Pettyjohn

Filed in National by on March 2, 2018

Unknown-1When it comes to gun laws, State Sen. Brian Pettyjohn wins the yellow jersey: He’s the General Assembly’s biggest hypocrite. The former Georgetown mayor, who fell into his senate seat when Eric Bodenweiser’s past caught up with him, was doing an undistinguished job in the minority caucus until last June, when he tried to board a plane at Salisbury (Md.) Regional Airport with a loaded handgun. The TSA found it during X-ray screening.

“It’s just one of those things where I didn’t check that one little flap, and there it was,” Pettyjohn told The News Journal at the time. “Sometimes mistakes happen, whether you’re a legislator or not.” Pettyjohn was allowed to enter a plea without admitting guilt and got probation, but not before letting the public know his true feelings about firearm laws. Again, from the News Journal story of last June 23:

“Hopefully cooler heads will prevail and we’ll try to find out what they’re after here. There is certainly nothing which rises to the level of a felony carrying a firearm to an airplane.”

Yet the same hyper-responsible gun guy was on the radio with Dan Gaffney this morning, arguing against Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf’s HB 330, which would raise the minimum age for buying any gun in Delaware to 21.

“I’ve been talking to some of my colleagues in the Sportsmen’s Caucus about this and we’ve got a lot of concerns,” he told Gaffney. “We’re talking shotguns, 18, 19 and 20-year-old men or women that want to go out hunting and aren’t going to be able to unless they have parental permission to buy the ammunition or buy the gun.” Pettyjohn has reason to listen to the “sportsmen” of the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association — he’s on the receiving end of their $100 contributions in both 2016 and 2017.

I happen to agree with him about Schwartzkopf’s bill — forcing people who are otherwise adults to get parental approval is highly problematic. (Imagine the headaches if alcohol could be sold to 18-year-olds who had parental approval.) But he’s the last person who should be making the argument because, if you go by him, 43-year-olds aren’t responsible enough to carry guns, either. The age isn’t the problem, it’s the firepower of military-style rifles. That’s why Gov. Carney has called for banning the gun. No muss, no fuss, no red tape. Ban. The. Gun.

It should go without saying that accident or not, the disposition of Pettyjohn’s case probably would have been different had he been Joe Blow and just a telecommunications manager at Mountaire (Pettyjohn’s day job) instead of a state lawmaker (just ask John Atkins). And if it was Jamal who was found with a gun “at” the airport, his skin a few shades darker and a Koran found in the suitcase, he’d be writing us letters from prison. In such a case I doubt Pettyjohn would petition the court about it “not rising to the level of a felony.”

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  1. jason330 says:

    “I didn’t check that one little flap,”

    Something Mr. White Privilege would say.

    Funny how these law and order types don’t care much of the law when is impacts them.

  2. Dave says:

    I have heard arguments that if we can send an 18 yr old to war, they should be able to have a gun. Initially that would seem to be a valid argument, except that in the military there is no access to firearms unless one is in a training situation or in a combat zone. Also, no 18 year old is handed a weapon without the requisite training and testing their response to combat situations.

    Society recognizes that there should be limits on driving at younger ages in most states. Delaware has a graduated drivers license for those under 18. It is simply common sense that things like firearms should come with conditions and restriction, at least for younger people regardless of the type of firearm.

    The only responsible gun owner is one that undergoes continues training and adheres to a policy of positive control of their weapon at all times. Brian Pettyjohn has demonstrated that he is not a responsible gun owner and therefore has no standing to opine or even vote on the topic and should recuse himself from topics concerning firearms until is has been retrained and obtained the public’s confidence that he is capable of responsible ownership.

  3. jason330 says:

    “Brian Pettyjohn has demonstrated that he is not a responsible gun owner and therefore has no standing to opine or even vote on the topic and should recuse himself from topics concerning firearms until is has been retrained and obtained the public’s confidence that he is capable of responsible ownership.”

    Or in that absence of his recusal, everyone else in Leg Hall should address him as Brian “Barney Fife” Pettyjohn.

  4. My My You Are Stupid says:

    “And if it was Jamal who was found with a gun “at” the airport, his skin a few shades darker and a Koran found in the suitcase, he’d be writing us letters from prison”

    The above is 100% false, you guys are very uninformed.

  5. Alby says:

    I’m pretty sure you don’t understand what “100%” means.

  6. Jason330 says:

    Lol.

  7. Dave says:

    “Brian “Barney Fife” Pettyjohn.”

    Yes. Good meme. I think you should roll with it and use it every time there is an occasion to mention his name. They don’t respond to logic, reason and common sense. The only thing that remains is shame and embarrassment.

    Have you ever noticed, that in cases of animal cruelty they authorities and the press seldom name the person who committed the act. If you pay attention you will see many instances of that happening and not just in animal cruelty cases. It happens in situations where there is some jerk on a plane causing trouble, and many other places.

    Our society can only survive if we have a certain standard of behavior and when someone does not conform to that standard it may not reach the level of offense where a law was broken but it certainly reaches the level where they should be outed and shamed for that behavior. The pattern of providing immunity from public ridicule in those situations is lowering the societal standard because there is no consequence.

    Pettyjohn is a public figure and charges filed, but how many other cases are there where the individual is not public figure and no charges are filed? If someone behaves with extreme stupidity, out the suckers for the sake of society!