Requiem for a Philosopher King

By David Codrea
Codrea4@adelphia.net

July 24, 2003

"Both men on the balcony were armed, police said this afternoon, but it did not appear that Davis had time to pull his weapon." —Marisa Lagos, The Los Angeles Times

It might be fair to ask just what the hell New York City Councilman James E. Davis was doing carrying a gun in the first place. As Founder and Chair of "LOVE YOURSELF" Stop the Violence, he considered pressuring former Toys-“R”-Us CEO Michael Goldstein to stop selling realistic-looking toy guns as one of his crowning achievements. Along with “drugs, teen pregnancy and school delinquency,” we are told “James began waging a war against guns.”

A poem appearing on his website’s “Kid’s Corner” reflects the philosophy he espoused to the world:

My dream is to see
no more violence in the world.
There will be no more guns
to fight wars and no guns
to kill children.

Which makes a charge from a former political opponent, that “Davis actually waved his gun before Louis's campaign workers in 1997,” all the more puzzling. Is that the action of someone dedicated to stopping violence? Is even possessing a gun consistent with the message he expected others to heed?

Why was Davis carrying a concealed firearm? And more importantly, how was he able to, especially since authorization to purchase, registration, licensing, and carry permits are all requirements imposed in the Big Apple, making it practically impossible for ordinary citizens—the constituents Mr. Davis wanted “no more guns” for—to legally obtain and carry a handgun.

As a former cop, did he have (or need) a special permit from the police commissioner? And even if he did, how was he authorized to carry his firearm into City Hall—bypassing entrance security systems by exploiting his special status as an elected official?

It seems city officials—and their guests—were exempt from going through the building’s metal detectors. Mayor Bloomberg, the man in charge of municipal security in today’s era of heightened terror alerts, now says this practice will stop.

"The great tragedy here is that two people are dead,” laments the mayor, “and one of them is an elected official. To have an elected official shot under any circumstances - your heart goes out to the family and friends, and your heart goes out to the country."

Indeed, one’s heart should go out to any country where the public officials enjoy exclusive privileges paid for by people they were supposed to serve. One’s heart should go out to the disarmed subjects of Mayor Bloomberg’s and the late Councilman Davis’ regime, who will never have the requisite connections to enjoy such special exemptions.

But in the midst of feeling all that sympathy, one should not lose sight of two demonstrable realities:

The Philosopher Kings view the fall of one of their own as more of a tragedy than if something happened to you or me, or to someone we love.

And as the late, unlamented shooter, Mr. Othniel Askew unwittingly demonstrated for all to see, whenever someone evil opens fire on others, it is invariably someone else with a gun who “stops the violence.”

David Codrea is an advisory member of the Silveira v Lockyer Support Fund, financing research to achieve a definitive Second Amendment ruling by the Supreme Court. For information on this groundbreaking effort and how you can help, visit www.KeepAndBearArms.com