Police Officer With Gun is Denied Voting Right
November 1st, 2010 . by TexasFredBANGOR — A Bangor police officer says he wasn’t allowed to cast his ballot when an election warden refused to let him vote while wearing his service revolver.
James Dearing said he was patrolling his beat Friday when he stopped to vote at the Bangor Civic Center. He said that’s where warden Wayne Mallar said he couldn’t vote unless he turned over his weapon.
Dearing refused, and then wrote a letter to Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap. Dunlap told the Bangor Daily News yesterday there is no state law prohibiting officers from carrying firearms while voting.
Mallar told the paper he wouldn’t comment other than to say he has the right to make determinations about safety.
For his part, Dearing said he wants two things — for the warden to admit he made a mistake, and to cast his vote.
Full Story Here:
Police Officer With Gun is Denied Voting Right
We hear all kinds of horror stories every time elections roll around.
We hear about the TEA Party members wearing a Gadsden Flag lapel pin not being allowed to vote because some *elections judge* is of the opinion that the TEA Party has co-opted that piece of history and made it representative of themselves.
We hear about police officers supposedly being fired from their Police Departments simply because they (the officers) were members of a local TEA Party.
Both of those stories are yet to be 100% confirmed.
We DO know, for a fact, that the Black Panthers of America stood watch over a voting place in the last presidential election in full Panther regalia, including night sticks for armament, and were allowed to intimidate WHITE voters. We also know that the DOJ, under Eric Holder, a BLACK man, has refused to bring charges against these individuals.
We’re hearing stories, right now, regarding voter fraud in this current election; votes for a straight ticket being cast automatically, voters in Nevada reporting their ballots showing up with a vote for Harry Reid already cast, who knows what else.
Now, from the land of Susan Collins (R)INO and Olympia Snowe (R)INO, this.
A POLICE OFFICER, in uniform, denied the right to vote? Denied that right by an *election judge* that is, without a doubt, far less than qualified to be a judge in a taco eating contest?
Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap told the Bangor Daily News there is no state law prohibiting officers from carrying firearms while voting, and apparently, while not widely publicized, the TEA Party in Dallas was told that there is NO law on the books that prohibits the wearing of a flag pin while voting either.
I know that here in Texas it IS illegal for a citizen to carry a gun into a polling place, even if that citizen is in possession of a Concealed Handgun License. It is illegal for a citizen to be in possession of a firearm within 100 feet of a polling place, even if that citizen is in possession of a CHL.
Those rules do NOT apply to sworn officers, and I have NO problem with that.
I have a very good friend that is a sworn officer, has been for 22 years. He doesn’t wear a uniform, he works in a position that requires him to NOT look like a cop in any way. But he does carry his badge, I.D. and Commission Card, as well as his sidearm.
A while back he was challenged for carrying a not too concealed pistol into a polling place when he went to vote, but once he presented his I.D. and badge, it was all good.
I know there will be some folks that rant and rave about WHY is it legal for a sworn officer to be allowed to carry in certain places and a citizen with a CHL not being allowed. Well, here’s where I use that logic from my friend Patrick Sperry concerning paper punchers, trained gunfighters and police officers.
There are some folks out there that have a CHL and in all truth and actuality, they have, in NO way, ANY business carrying a weapon regardless of the CHL and supposed qualifications.
And yes, I know, there’s some officers that have no business carrying a weapon too, but, for the most part, police departments weed them out if it turns out that they need to be taken off the street and removed from the public domain.
Police officers are SWORN officers, they are, for the most part, highly trained in the proper use of their weapon, all safety issues and the proper time and place to actually USE that weapon. They also are, for the most part, in a program of continuing education, one designed to increase their skills and abilities to safely perform their jobs. To deny them the ability to carry the tools of their trade, in ANY setting, is to deny the safety of the American public.
The *paper punchers*, CHL holders, are not subjected to the intense basic training and to the in-service training officers go through, and are not carrying their weapons as an officer of the law.
I am sincerely hoping this doesn’t become a Second Amendment discussion issue, it’s not about the 2A and citizens being denied a *right*, it’s about an officer of the law being denied his right to vote and being denied the ability to perform his SWORN duty at ALL times.
Maine? Bangor Maine right?
This type of thing may happen in a lot of places, Austin, Houston in Texas and ANYWHERE in CALIFORNIA… Maine all I know is LIBERAL. But the fact is Officers of the law should be afforded some courtesy and even a few extra perks. Breakfast at IHOP, gun on the side while voting…Big deal.
He didn’t shoot nobody and the case can be made that Obama’s Wife in a polling place causes more violence and deaths than that cop did.
Makes perfect sense to me. At least the argument that you present. The judge not so much. The only folks that should be able to have a firearm at such a place should be law enforcement. On or off duty shouldn’t matter. If a baddy should poke his head into such a place they would be dealt with. Which I think there usually is at least one officer present at most polling places. The judge I’m hoping is just an isolated case of stupid and that the 2A isn’t drug into the frey just four another ignorant politician to use as a soapbox of justification.
Election judge is an asshole. Mallar was trying to keep a perceived conservative from casting a vote. Being a liberal bastion, Maine is chock full of left wing nut jobs. Don’t believe the firearm had that much to do with the situation. If there was a ruckus at the polling site that needed some LEOs, would he tell them to leave their guns outside?
I wonder if the “voter intimidation” would have ended quickly if an officer on duty walked out of the polling place while the two black panthers was TRYING to be threatening. I’ll bet it would have ended
real quick. As for this ignoramus “election judge”………I wonder if he
has anything to do with the areas schools “zero tolerance” policies??????
Sounds about like he’d fit right in. Stupid is ,as stupid does.
It could be the voting warden just didn’t know that the officer should be allowed to carry his weapon while voting. Many times they’re just told that nobody can carry a firearm in a poling place and they fail to realize there are exceptions to the rule, such as law enforcement.
Bob — I just can’t buy ANYONE having that level of ignorance… A cop is NOT giving up his weapon, I am firmly convinced that this *judge* suffers a full blown case of *dumb-ass*…
Even in retirement, as a “retired” Federal Law Officer, the year of the 1799 laws state that I am still a sworn officer till I die. Yes, that is the law for US Marshals, which I am a part of.
But , I do not go to the polls armed. I pull my piece from my inside belt clip, and go in to the Voting place.
This does not bother me at all to be “un-armed” for this brief time.
I trust my polling place here in Gun Barrel City, Texas.
Once voted, and back in my car, I am “strapped” again.
I do not trust any County, State, nor Country that does not allow law abiding citizens to go thru the simple process to obtain their “Carry Concealed Weapon” State of Texas permit.
Every law abiding citizen in Texas should have this permit!
Go get it!!!! We need this back-up!!!!!
Mr. Chuck, fully agreed, I am old, retired and always very aware of my surroundings, I leave mine in the car when I go vote too, and I am all for CHL holders, I wish they were better trained, but hey, we’ll take what we can get…
The thing that really gets my goat is the number of CHL holders that I have talked to that think because they have that CHL, they are God’s gift to shooting, are fully trained and ready to address any and every possibility…
They are not…
I have had CHL holders, NEW recipients, try to tell me ALL about the law, guns, calibers, what’s best, the best man stopper, ballistics, FPS, what I needed to carry and how I needed to carry it…
I generally let em rant a little and then I ask em, “How many REAL gun fights you been in Son? Did any of those *range targets’ you killed shoot back?”
That usually shuts em up…
TF, like minds obviously think alike.
There is NO officer who should EVER surrender his or her sidearm in order to vote.
Period.
Ever.
But when a uniformed cop comes to vote. . .
And you DISallow him or her to vote. . .
It’s time to foment some kind or reorganization or — dare we suggest it — ?
BZ
This is right out of the “stupid is as stupid does” file. As far as I am concerned LEO’s should be present at all polls. Further, that they are the only one’s that should be armed at all. That would go a long way toward keeping the New Black Panthers as well as other misfits in line.
Refusing to allow a cop to vote..? Maybe that election judge needed to spend a night in jail to think about what he did!
Election Official Dismissed After Refusing Armed Officer His Right to Vote
And as well it should be.
That was simply a Left-leaning “election official” whose perceived authority went to his head; he was able to do it at the time and, simultaneously, make a statement about what he thinks about guns as well as what he thinks about “authority figures” and the Right Wing as well.
BZ
Do you think it’s too late to just GIVE Maine to Canada, and call it a day????
Actually, I agree with Patrick, armed LEOs should be in place in every precinct. It would cut out a lot of BS on election day. I somehow don’t think a lot of stupid human tricks that the Dems try to play would happen either if there is a good chance they might get escorted to jail if they try it. Yesterday, I was in a split precinct located in a fire station. I’m getting ready to drop off a thank you gift because those firemen put up with some BS and were still awesome. I assure you, the moonbat Democrats in the predominately Demwit precincts would never think to even say thank you to them and their day was FULL of disruptions because of the polling taking place there!