Aug

25

Denver Weapons Arrest at Pelosi’s Hotel: What?

August 25, 2008 |  Tagged , , , |

In my opinion, there is something odd about the arrest of Wyoming resident Joseph Calanchini at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s hotel on Saturday.  The bust was apparently made on the basis of Calanchini’s attempt  to check into the Grand Hyatt Hotel with a cased hunting rifle.  I know of no Colorado or Federal law that would make such conduct illegal, unless the hotel had prominently posted “no guns allowed” signs.  Police reported that Mr. Calanchini was carrying two rifles and two pistols without a concealed carry permit.  If the pistols were unloaded and cased, it would appear to me on first blush that no crime was committed.  So far, we don’t know the status of the pistols.  If they were in fact carried as immediately accessible concealed weapons, Mr. Calanchini may have a personal problem.

Calanchini was booked, held in jail, and subsequently released on $10,000 bail.  Ms Pelosi was evacuated from the hotel, but was reportedly ”never in danger.”

The subject of the arrest and investigation may have had the weapons “worked on” in Denver in preparation for an African hunting trip this week.  Calanchini reportedly said that he didn’t know the Democrat National Convention was in town.  Where has he been for the last six months?

I suppose there are parts of rural Wyoming where it would be possible to avoid newspapers, radio, and television for awhile.  How likely is it that someone could arrive in Denver with no clue that “the people we have been waiting for” are about to part the waters, raise the dead, and bring a thousand years of peace and harmony to a desperate planet?

What are Calanchini’s background and party affiliation?  Was he just careless?  Did the Secret Service/Denver Police overreact to the lawful possession of firearms in a public place?  Does the hotel have a “no guns” policy that could be used as the basis of a trespassing charge?  Will the “unlawful carrying” beef stick?  Will Canchini be able to get on a plane for Africa with the Denver arrest on his record?  Will Batman arrive in time to save Robin from the Riddler? (Just wanted to be sure that you are paying attention.)

Henry David Thoreau wrote, “Some circumstantial evidence is very strong, as when you find a trout in the milk.” Or, nod here to Barack Hussein Obama, as the French might say, “Il y a quelque chose de louche ici!”  Roughly translated for unhip, uncool, unsophisticated Americans who can’t speak a foreign language, and/or recent graduates of our public education system, that comes out as “There is something funny going on here.”

Stay tuned for further developments.  Is this a simple case of bad luck?  Is it paranoid overreaction by law enforcement?  Is it a test case for Second Amendment rights set up by some faction of the “Great Right Wing Conspiracy?”  Is it the case of an agent provocateur (more French) sent to to shore up the Democrats’ rotten platform plank on the Second Amendment?  Is it simply a case of a tempest in a teapot, or is it a trout in the milk?

Def Mech


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