Go Ahead, Make My Day

Police Chief Eugene Byrd of Isleton, Calif., is under fire from state attorney general Dan Lungren. Once known as the “Asparagus Capital of the World”, Isleton is now known as the place in Sacramento County to get a permit to carry a concealed handgun, and the fees are the town’s third-largest source of revenue. Lungren interprets state law to read that cities can charge a maximum of $3 for a gun permit and has ordered Isleton, which charges $150, to reduce its fee. There is no shortage of applicants: so far this year, 700 permits have been issued, and Byrd’s not ready to comply with Lungren’s demands. “It’s going to take more than some silly threat from the attorney general to scare me,” the chief says. “He’s going to have to throw me in jail.” (Los Angeles Times) ...Drug dealers and con men operate from jail; no reason Chief Byrd shouldn’t be able to too.