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Monday, July 23, 2012

Politics Crazy-Ass Republican State Lawmaker Reportedly Pulls Gun on Another Driver

Posted by Dominic Holden on Mon, Jul 23, 2012 at 12:29 PM

Sure, we're used to hearing that Republican state lawmakers have allegedly pulled a gun on their own kind, like Pam Roach's alleged altercation with a staffer, but now they're pulling guns on strangers:

A Spokane Valley legislator pulled a gun during a confrontation with another motorist last November in what police reports describe as a road rage incident. He was cited for two violations of state firearms law.

Republican Matt Shea, a state representative seeking a third term this fall, had a handgun in his pickup truck and had let his concealed weapons permit expire, a violation of state law, when he was contacted by Spokane police investigating reports of erratic driving and one driver threatening another with a handgun. [...]

Leroy Norris, the driver of the Lumina, called police to report he had been driving on Monroe when a pickup truck cut him off and he had to slam on the brakes to avoid a collision. He honked his horn, made some “aggressive lane changes” with the pickup, and the driver of that vehicle “flipped him off.” The driver of the pickup pulled a handgun from the passenger side of the car and pointed it at him, he said. He “freaked out” and drove away “crazy” because he thought his life was in danger, he added.

Why did Shea reach for his pistol?

He told officers he “thought he was being targeted due to his work,” The Spokesman Review reports. His work in the legislature includes furthering his anti-gay, anti-health-care, social-safety-net-slashing agenda. And by his own words, when he feels like he's being targeted he pulls out a gun. Yikes.

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Comments (20) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

What a thoughtful, law abiding citizen. And here I thought Republicans were ignorant lunatics. Shame on me.

Posted by Pope Peabrain on July 23, 2012 at 12:39 PM

Uhhhhh, is it OK in Washington to kill someone who is threatening you with deadly force?? ie, pointing a firearm at you? Seems logical to me... that is why one bears arms. If you point it, use it or risk dying, eh? What would George Zimmerman do??
..

Posted by pupuguru on July 23, 2012 at 12:45 PM

Oooh! Paranoia! When was the last time a state congressperson was targeted, in any state?

Posted by STJA on July 23, 2012 at 12:46 PM

Guilty conscience, much?

Posted by balderdash

on July 23, 2012 at 12:52 PM

@#3, a little different. But gabby giffords comes to mind...

Posted by Random Poster on July 23, 2012 at 1:04 PM

This is why I live on the progressive side of the Cascades.

Posted by mitten on July 23, 2012 at 1:06 PM

Republican lawmaker in fear of his life. Well he should be afraid.

I can see why those roving gangs of civil rights workers, and community organizers, wearing red armbands emblazoned with the ACORN symbol, tearing up the streets, smashing in the windows of businesses, would be frightening. Not to mention those rabid pro-choicers, picking off Christian protestors rallying outside of Planned Parenthood, with high powered rifles, and targeting innocent doctors and pharmacists that refuse to dispense birth control. Then there's the Feminists, castrating young boys and forcing them into lives of subservience for the new Fempire. And let's not forget those wicked gays, kidnapping innocent children out of their beds, driving to Massachusetts, and forcing them to get gay married.

Yes, the right sure has a lot to fear. I'd be carrying a gun too.

Posted by johnjjeeves on July 23, 2012 at 1:15 PM

That gun of his no doubt STOPPED a mass killing. If he did not have the gun and whip it out, a massacre would have happened. The man is a HERO! And if you disagree with me I have an AK-47 that might help you see reason; bitch.

Posted by Sargon Bighorn on July 23, 2012 at 1:23 PM

@7 Of course they have things to fear. Otherwise they'd take a look at what they were doing and feel like assholes.

Posted by prompt on July 23, 2012 at 1:28 PM

He should have been charged with assault by pointing (or whatever the Washington state equivalent is.

Posted by MR M on July 23, 2012 at 1:53 PM

@10
"He should have been charged with assault by pointing (or whatever the Washington state equivalent is."

This is a great example of someone who should NOT own a gun.

No current permit.
Pulled it in a traffic situation.
I'd bet that it was loaded as well.

Now if this guy was black or Hispanic (and not a politician) he'd be doing jail time.

Posted by fairly.unbalanced on July 23, 2012 at 1:58 PM

@5 - She was a much higher profile target, as a US Congresswoman, don't you think?

Posted by STJA on July 23, 2012 at 2:35 PM

Spokane Valley is the hick part of Spokane.

Posted by Cato the Younger Younger on July 23, 2012 at 2:50 PM

@13: You're being awfully generous.

Posted by TVDinner

on July 23, 2012 at 2:55 PM

Ahhhh, the good old days of wild west shootouts remain intact. Love that heritage ... Sure hope it goes well for the Indians and all as we regress ..

Posted by pupuguru on July 23, 2012 at 7:07 PM

His explanation makes him sound like a paranoid schizophrenic.

Posted by Free Lunch on July 23, 2012 at 7:21 PM

We have to share a state with these Neanderthals. No wonder we have extreme anxiety before every statewide election.

What I don't understand is why Oregon is not so afflicted. They have the same eastside/westside demographic that we do. Why is it their eastside people aren't such dumshits?

Posted by sarah70 on July 23, 2012 at 7:39 PM

sarah70, it's more north/south Oregon, but they have the same dynamic as Washington. Even the Portland suburbs are generally worse than the Seattle suburbs.

Posted by mackro

on July 23, 2012 at 8:41 PM

Just be glad that thanks to this incident, we (probably) never will have to see this tool make a viable run for a statewide office, or a Congressional seat. Remember, he's the one who introduced an assortment of "tenther" bills, for example, purporting to make federal law enforcement officers subordinate to county sheriffs.

Also, @sarah70, there was a huge urban/rural split in Oregon for decades, and it continues to some extent. Think Willamette Valley (Portland to Eugene) vs. everything else. Oregon is different from Washington because there are no cities on the east side of the mountains that are anything close to the size of Spokane. For that matter, the Spokane metro area is almost twice the population of Eugene/Springfield.

Posted by Whew! on July 23, 2012 at 8:47 PM

I would like to hear more about what work Shea was doing that he felt he was being targeted for. So he believes that Norris was tailing him?

Posted by Patricia Kayden on July 24, 2012 at 4:17 AM