An incident involving a veteran of the wars in Afghanistan
and Iraq and the Temple, Texas, police has started a row over the Second
Amendment right to keep and bear arms and accusations of police misconduct.
Texas vet arrested for "rudely display weapon"
According to an interview in the National Review, C.J.
Grisham, an army veteran, was hiking with his teenage son in rural Texas, helping
him earn a hiking merit badge that would earn him the status of Eagle Scout.
Grisham was carrying an AR 15 for protection, he says, against feral hogs,
cougars, and other predators as well as a concealed handgun that he had a
permit for. He and his son were stopped by a Temple policeman and, while the
meeting began cordially, it soon spiraled out of control. According to
Grisham's account, partly disputed by the police but supported by an
accompanying video of the incident, the police office had an issue with
Grisham's carrying a firearm, which he had a legal right to do. The police office and Grisham had an
altercation that involved, Grisham says, the officer suddenly grabbing at his
rifle then pulling his own weapon. The police claim that the officer asked
for Grisham's weapon, but was refused. The
incident ended with Grisham being relieved of both of his weapons and his
concealed carry permit and being placed under arrest. Grisham maintains
that the police officer's actions were contrary to the law.
An anti-gun prosecutor
The remarkable incident, considering the popularity of
firearms in rural Texas, might be explained by a local prosecutor named Ken
Kalafut, according to a story about the incident in the Daily Caller. Kalafut
is described as an Obama supporter and is suspected as being the
"bandleader of gun control efforts" in the local community. Kalafut
was involved in a similar incident involving a Fort Hood soldier named
Nathaniel Sampson who was arrested for taking a concealed handgun into a hospital
where his wife had been taken for treatment. The Sampson case was finally
dropped after a 10-month process because the hospital, contrary to Texas law,
failed to post signs that concealed handguns were prohibited on hospital
property. Kalafut is reported to have considered charging Sampson with
intoxication, but that gambit fell apart thanks to a recording of a 911 call
made by Sampson at the time that showed him to be "stone-cold sober."
Grisham has a legal defense fund
In the meantime, Grisham has set up a legal defense fund
that as of this writing has raised more than $25,000. Grisham's charges have
been reduced from resisting arrest, a Class A misdemeanor, to interrupting,
disrupting, impeding and interfering with a peace officer while performing a duty,
a Class B misdemeanor. The police also retain possession of Grisham's rifle and
pistol, which he would like to be returned. Grisham is characterizing his legal
fight as a battle for his Second Amendment rights.
