like you and me only better

That post title is a recurring theme on a lot of firearm-related weblogs, and I finally found cause to use it myself today.
Behold the below news clipping from AP News:

No felony charges against Farina in gun incident

Los Angeles County prosecutors won’t file felony charges against actor Dennis Farina for having a gun in his luggage at an airport earlier this month.

Farina was arrested for investigation of carrying a concealed weapon.

Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office, said Friday there wasn’t enough evidence to charge Farina with a felony.

Instead, the case was referred to the city attorney’s office, which will decide whether to file misdimeanor charges that carry a lighter sentence.

Farina has said he forgot the weapon was there.

Ok, well, first off, credit should be given to the Associated Press for not succumbing to the standard pants-soiling nonsense we often see come out of any media outlet when they start talking about firearms. Hey – you have to encourage them when they do good, otherwise they will just stick to what they know.
However, the positive light pretty much stops there. Unfortunately, the article is incomplete in that it does not mention whether or not Farina has a legal concealed carry license for Los Angeles County. Granted, that little piece of plasic is about as elusive as a bloody unicorn, but, somehow, if you happen to be rich and famous, like so many actors are, procuring one is simply a matter of asking and receiving. Funny how that works.
Furthermore, Farina gets two strikes right off the bat – a concealed firearm anywhere within the state of Kalifornistan (assuming he does not have a license for it), and an undeclared firearm within an airport (at least, I have to assume it was undeclared, considering that finding it in his luggage was such a cause for concern). Of course, given how laws are here in the grand old People’s Republik of Kalifornistan, the police here could probably cite you for carrying a firearm in a concealed manner when you have it packed into your luggage and every intention of declaring it when you get to the counter. That said, I cannot really come up with a reason why security or the police would search a piece of luggage before the start of the check-in process.
Now, last I checked, both of those strikes happened to be felonies (the latter made even worse if the firearm happened to be loaded – again, incomplete reporting leaves us wondering) – I could be wrong, and if I am, feel free to correct me. And yet, both of the offenses are being overlooked by the Los Angeles DA’s office. How convenient.
But, instead of just coming out and saying that the government of Kalifornistan goes out of its way to cater to the rich and indolent, the spokesperson for the DA had to come up with some legalistic explanation of why things are going the way they are going… Unfortunately, she failed miserably when it comes to believability. Either there was a firearm in Farina’s luggage, or there was not. Either he has a license to carry it in a concealed manner, or he does not. Either he declared it at the counter, or he did not. This is a binary situation folks – either the evidence was there, or it was not; there is no “not enough evidence” crap.
And now, instead of trying to pursue the supposedly lacking evidence, or build a case, or anything of the nature, the DA’s office is deciding whether or not it will file misdemeanor charges… Not what the charges will be, or what punishment they are seeking, or how many charges, but rather whether to file these lesser charges at all. Must be nice to be rich and famous – you can go and break a law, and the government decides if they are going to bother charging you with a less-severe offense… if at all!
Please do not misunderstand – I have nothing against Mr. Farina. In fact, if it were not for IMDB, I would have no idea who the schmuck was. Furthermore, I despise, with a small, firey passion, Kalifornistan’s laws concerning firearms and concealed carry permits. However, the law is the law, whether I like it or not, and it is the same for all classes, races, ethnicities, ages, genders, and political affiliations of all people… or, at least, it would be, if this were not Kalifornistan, and if the person in question were not somehow rich and famous.
So much for Lady Justice being blindfolded… Hell, here in Kalifornstan, she has foregone even her scales and sword in favor of a copy of “People” and a television remote.