Loaning a car is well beyond what is being discussed, though. If I go through the mechanical process of filling up my car, that does not directly correlate into my responsibility for someone else using it for criminal mischief. And if that car, for some reason, ends up exploding because it has a full gas tank, and is…

As Trevor Noah pointed out, the President isn’t just targeting the Eagles (which, he clearly thinks he is): he just picked a fight with a swing-state that he barely won, and tends to show exceedingly aggressive loyalty to homegrown brands.

These are fair points, but she has nothing to do with that. I don’t understand people. Do they think harassing her will somehow retroactively improve her character?

I’ll fight you on Star Trek...but I do love that franchise.

I think the backlash is stupid, but I unfortunately get it (and not condone it). It makes decisions in the Star Wars universe that long term fans really dislike. Which...what does Kelly Marie Tran have to do with it? It’s like the harassment Jake Lloyd got over his portrayal of Anakin.

That is a...huge leap from loading a weapon to being responsible for it firing. If I load a weapon, and someone else fires it, am I responsible for that weapon firing?

It’s not impossible. It’s just exceedingly rare and improbable. Hence the reason it is still considered a factor in investigations.

It would be a good time to have a refresh read of Umberto Eco’s ‘Ur-Fascism.’ Depressing, but enlightening.

Between this and the letter to Mueller, I feel like the President and his lawyers have a damned good reason to think the investigation has uncovered something damning. This feels like they’re deliberately testing the waters, or laying the groundwork, for how to counter something specific.

Mechanical failure would imply that the human operator had no control over the weapon firing (such as a malformed firing pin, a defective round, etc.). Thus, the human element is absolved from any fault. Functionally and legally speaking, a mechanical failure means that a human element was not a factor in the weapon…

Functionally, it’s a non-issue for cities. Illegal immigrants don’t want attention, so...they don’t break the law. They pay the taxes that are required of them (you don’t need to be a citizen to pay taxes!), and do what they can to stay out of trouble. So, a large influx of illegal immigrants don’t necessarily harm…

That’s the thing, though: it COULD be mechanical failure. It is very rare, but it does happen. Phrasing it ‘a shot was fired’ does not imply that the weapon fired itself, nor that there was a negligent discharge: a shot was literally fired, and an investigation is being conducted to determine why.

(Jim Gaffigan voice): “What’s wrong with dancing like a Mormon?”

Actually, it tends to be the other way around (at least at the federal level). We are encouraged to carry our duty weapons over civilian weapons off-duty, because our law enforcement credentials are our permits. But, they are permits only for our authorized weapon. We can carry a civilian weapons with a conceal and…

I agree. Guns don’t generally ‘just go off’ when you pick them up.

You’re not hearing me on this: the procedure for an ND, even one where it is as clear as this, still requires an investigation to determine the cause. Think of it as a due process for LEO firearm incidents. That means, until the official investigation states this was an ND, it cannot be reported that way. It would be…

No, I got his point: I was explaining why it was phrased the way it was. Until the investigation concludes it was a failure from the operator, and not mechanical, then legally, that is how it would be phrased. You know it was an ND. I know it was an ND. Until the investigation says clearly “This was an ND,” all it is…

It’s clinical, but accurate. And much more descriptive than ‘the weapon accidentally fired.’ Truthfully, though, that is because this is the legal description of what happened until the investigation determines if it was a negligent discharge, or a mechanical failure (I know, we all know what happened, but the boxes…

There are a...very few occasions I will actually carry my duty weapon concealed (mostly because grip tape is painful). There are so many circumstances and environments I can find myself in off-duty that might call my pistol wearing into legal question (like...hell, getting lunch at a restaurant that happens to serve…

In this case, more than preferred: Glock models are the actual standard issue weapon for the FBI. If this was his duty weapon, this guy would have only had an ‘accidental’ discharge by touching the trigger.