On Tuesday, it was reported that New York State Homeland Security chief Jerry Hauer had pulled a gun and flagged two Swedish officials with it. Why? He needed a laser pointer, and the closest one at hand was the one on his gun.

Let’s spot the number of problems with his explanation:

In the end, I used the laser gun. Was it the smartest thing in the world do? Absolutely not. (…) I would never point an empty firearm [ed: there is no such thing] at anyone, let alone a loaded gun.

Not only was it not the smartest thing to do, it wasn’t smart at all. How does this guy get to carry a concealed pistol in New York City (and in federal buildings, no less), but the average citizen cannot?

Next up is Kentucky Representative Leslie Combs, who had a negligent discharge in her office. Apparently, she was “purposely disarming it to put it up because I didn’t like it and I didn’t want to use it any more.” Why she chose to do that in her office is beyond me. She also said,

I will be the first proponent for gun safety, at the same time I’m also a proponent in support of people to be able to carry weapons properly and with a concealed carry permit.

This isn’t really true, since her glib explanation for the discharge was, “I’m a gun owner. It happens.” Anyone with that kind of attitude has no business owning a gun, much less carrying one.

But hey, they’re politicians, so they know better than us, right? Just like Lori Klein. I swear, I’m having trouble keeping track of them all.