Firearm Prevents Police Officer From Casting Vote

[Maine CWP Training]

BANGOR, Maine - 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.

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[Maine CWP Training]

Bangor election warden dismissed over cop-gun flap

11/1/10

BANGOR, Maine — A city election official who refused to allow an armed, uniformed Bangor police officer to vote last week will not be working at the polls for the remainder of the 2010 elections.

Bangor City Clerk Patti Dubois, who is in charge of staffing the city’s lone polling place, the Bangor Civic Center, confirmed Monday that Wayne Mallar, a longtime election warden in Bangor, has been asked to stay home.

Dubois said she planned to contact the officer later Monday to apologize and ensure that he has another opportunity to vote.

Additional details associated with Mallar’s long-term status as an election official or the reasons behind his dismissal for the rest of this election cycle are considered a personnel matter, interim City Manager Bob Farrar said.

The incident in question happened late Friday afternoon. Officer James Dearing, who was patrolling his assigned beat near the civic center, decided to stop in and cast an early vote.

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[Rabbitcreekok]

I thought I had seen the height of stupidity, but I guess we have not seen the upper limit yet.

 

[wuzfuz]

Firearm Prevents Police

When I lived in Arizona, you were also prevented from carrying a gun in a polling place. However, the Arizona Revised Statutes contained the provision that police officers were exempt from any prohibition on where guns could be carried. Personally, I still find this objectionable. I am a former deputy sheriff and quite thoroughly trained in firearms carry and safety. My weapon is no more likely to be used to commit a crime than a police officer's weapon. What is it that makes the cop's gun perfectly safe, while mine constitutes a threat? I saw a bumper sticker at a gun show I wanted to get. "My gun has killed fewer people than Ted Kennedy's car."

 

[Rabbitcreekok]

When I lived in Arizona, you were also prevented from carrying a gun in a polling place. However, the Arizona Revised Statutes contained the provision that police officers were exempt from any prohibition on where guns could be carried. Personally, I still find this objectionable. I am a former deputy sheriff and quite thoroughly trained in firearms carry and safety. My weapon is no more likely to be used to commit a crime than a police officer's weapon. What is it that makes the cop's gun perfectly safe, while mine constitutes a threat? I saw a bumper sticker at a gun show I wanted to get. "My gun has killed fewer people than Ted Kennedy's car."

I am surprised that the same stature that covers police officers does not cover deputy sheriffs. I may be wrong, but I think that the same CLEET certification covers both categories in Oklahoma.

 

[Maine CWP Training]

Any law abiding citizen may carry his or her firearm at the pols as long as the polling place is not a public school. Oc or cc~

 

[stingray2100]

Ok guys the polling places are gun free.

Police officers, military and private citizens are not allowed to carry in a voting location.

So I'm sorry to day that the officer just needed to secure his weapon in his patrol car or bicycle and vote.

That is no excuse to not vote. I'm calling BS on that one. SORRY.:no:

 

[father-of-three]

The Black Panthers that were thugging at a polling place in Philadelphia in 2008 love gun free zones.

 

[BigSlick]

Ok guys the polling places are gun free.

Police officers, military and private citizens are not allowed to carry in a voting location.

So I'm sorry to day that the officer just needed to secure his weapon in his patrol car or bicycle and vote.

That is no excuse to not vote. I'm calling BS on that one. SORRY.:no:

I have to agree with Stingray. If polling places are in fact gun free zones no matter who you are than the officer should have complied and stowed his weapon just like any one of us here would have done.

 

[Maine CWP Training]

Polling places are not gun free zones unless it is a public school.

 

[stingray2100]

I'm not saying that I agree with gun free zones guys.

actually I'm totally against Gun free zones.. I carry everyday in my car, on my person at my work, at home.

But I do not carry in a hospital or a voting area. I secure my weapon in my car and do what I need to do and holter it again when I'm done.

also the officer could of carried his baton or tase or his pepper spray in to the polling area if he feels unsecure.

But this should not stop him from doing his civil duty as a US citizen. We are in an election that will actually affect our way of life in the near future. Lets cust to crap and excuses and go VOTE.

so protect the constitution...go vote.
protect our way of life....go vote.
protect your 2nd ammendment...go vote.
let the house and senate hear your voice...go vote
and if someone does not let you VOTE...well it if your dang fault. Do not blame it on your gun that is holstered.

 

[stingray2100]

Also the public school gun fee zone is only in maine. In texas and other states polling places are gun free. but nothing is saying that you can not carry a taser or a peper spray can. See you can still defend yourself.

and if someone is intimidating you leave and come back with a police officer or something that can protect you. If someone is intimidating you at a voting place you can tell the voting people to remove him or her. If they do not comply you can go and get a police officer to escort you to the polling area. No excuse guys.
atsak:

 

[stingray2100]

Just to make it a clear.
I'm just talking about Texas.

According to Texas Law it is a felony to carry a loaded gun (handgun, long gun ) in a Voting place, including during early voting. Don't carry past the "No Campaigning" signs.

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[Islander]

Specious post. Officer should have (A) absentee voted, (B) voted while off diuty, or (C) simply left weapon in patrol car. If it was not legal for him to do C while on duty, A or B still apply.

I think the law is silly, but like all of us, once the law is made, the LEO (of all people) needs to follow it.

 

[Maine CWP Training]

Have Gun, No Vote

November 10, 2010, by Bob Barr

The right to vote is an aspect of American life we all take for granted. We expect to be able to show up at our polling place every other fall and cast our ballot for the candidates we believe will best represent us in our local government, in the state legislature, or in Washington, DC. That is, unless you are a uniformed police officer attempting to exercise your right to vote at a voting precinct in Bangor, Maine supervised by an idiot.

James Dearing, a Bangor, Maine police officer, showed up two weeks ago – in his regular uniform — to cast an in-person absentee ballot at Bangor Civic Center; the only early voting location in the city. He had voted many times in the past with no problem.

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[Rabbitcreekok]

Ok guys the polling places are gun free.

Police officers, military and private citizens are not allowed to carry in a voting location.

So I'm sorry to day that the officer just needed to secure his weapon in his patrol car or bicycle and vote.

That is no excuse to not vote. I'm calling BS on that one. SORRY.:no:

Soooo, lets see, if a man with a gun storms into a polling place and takes hostages, the responding officers will have to leave their guns in their cars while they deal with the hostage taker. I don't think so.

Perhaps things have changed since my days as a Dallas officer, but in the 70's, there was no place I could not carry my weapon, either on duty or off duty, carried on my hip or concealed off duty. As a matter of fact, I was required to be armed at all times while off duty, no matter where I was.

I have carried my gun onto the concourse at DFW to meet an arriving plane, while off duty and in street clothes. I just showed them my badge and told them I was armed and was waved on through. Of course that was not in Dallas, but in Grapevine, but it made no difference. Now, I doubt an officer could do that now, since times have changed since them, but I would like to see the law that states an on duty officer cannot carry his gun into a voting place, whether to vote or not.

 

[OngoingFreedom]

Ok guys the polling places are gun free.

Maybe where you're from.