by Dr. Eowyn
R. Daryl Fisher, a former Ashville PD captain and current law enforcement training director, is a Democrat candidate for Buncombe County Sheriff in North Carolina.
On March 7, 2018, Fisher spoke at the monthly meeting of pro-gun control Moms Demand Action, in West Ashville Library, Ashville, NC.
Responding to a question from the audience, Fisher said, with intermittent applause from the audience (note: some of his words are inaudible):
“I do have some recommendations. First of all, I would like to see the age for any purchase of firearm between (inaudible) ….. I think we should ban the sale of all high-capacity magazines, handguns and long guns. I think we need to ban the sale of even mechanisms that allow a firearm to fire in rapid succession. The reason why that’s the terminology we need to use in our statutes is there’s somebody out there is gonna develop some mechanism at some time that is going to be able to fire in that position. So we can’t just say ‘bump stock,’ we cannot say a ‘fully automatic trigger’ . We have got to say ‘any mechanism’ that allows firearm to be fired in rapid succession.
I also would like to require that when a person gets their carry concealed permit, I would like to have to carry the weapon at the trigger and not be allowed to carry any other weapon. For law enforcement officers, when we train, training standards mandate that we only carry the weapons as we’re qualified to. I think it should be the same for citizens.
I would also like to see some proficiency testing mandated here. You can see that one, make sure that the folks, if they take action, they’re trained efficiently, and two, they don’t hurt somebody who’s next to them.
Now we should do that, well, I would like to see it annually. However, permits are only issued every five years. None of us made the law…. something that we could do in the future, so that anytime once somebody renews their permit, I think that they should have some type of training instead….
[3:05 mark] I’m gonna tell you now: Don’t buy into the scare tactics, don’t believe the scare tactics. Because you’ve heard people say ‘You’ll have to pry my guns from my cold, dead hands.’[Fisher shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly, to sarcastic tittering from the audience.] Okay! [He again shrugs his shoulders to indicate that it’s okay with him that gun owners defend their guns till death. The audience of mainly women laugh uproariously and applaud loudly. Fisher smiles, pleased with the audience’s reaction.] When you pass away, we’ll come get it…. Joking just a little bit.”
Hear for yourself:
If YouTube takes down the video, here it is in MP4 format, safe from YouTubecensorship:
After Fisher’s incendiary remarks were posted on AltMedia sites like Conservative Tribune, on March 24, Fisher issued a denial on his Facebookpage, claiming his remark had been taken out of context and that he was just joking:
Some reactions from Facebook readers to Fisher’s denial:
Bob Durham: “Since you have more than twenty years in law enforcement I believe that you have enough experience and intelligence to know better. In the age of cell phone cinematographers all LEO’s are aware of how they must watch their speech. I have twenty years in the field myself and I would not have made that ‘joke’. If your citizenry chooses to elect you then they certainly deserve better than such ill-thought sound bites. The most dangerous weapon you have as a leader of an agency is your mouth. And just like you can’t call back a bullet after you squeezed the trigger, you can’t take back poorly chosen vernacular. It comes across as pandering to a special interest group.”
Vernon Roach: “You are not advocating for ‘Justice For All’ when you propose on taking people gun rights away. As a retired Army Veteran of 26 years…I think we should slow down when considering taking rights away from good people because of the actions of the criminal elements. I’ve had close friends die protecting the rights you are willing to dispose of…. Also, if we disarm the populace, don’t forget that our country, without guns, would be open to being invaded. Why would you consider stripping me of owning a weapon that I trained with for 26 years? I have done nothing wrong and would protect us in the event of an invasion on our soil… . Also, for your safety, I do not suggest going door to door trying to take weapons away by force. I think you would be met with resistance. I wrote an article on the subject if you would like to read more. thejoeandannstore.com/home/freedom-now-then/“
Reaction on YouTube:
snowlothar: “Laughing about killing people simply because they are constitution abiding patriots makes you one sick individual. I believe you and your cronies should be placed on the no fly list and have a psychological investigation performed. You are certainly not fit for public office and frankly should not be part of a free society.”
MKArnold001: “You should be ashamed, but you’re unapologetic. You’re a bad American. I listened to your entire speech; your detractors are not misrepresenting what you’ve said, they have you spot on. You should be ashamed but you don’t even know why we’re calling you out. Btw, judging by their questions, your audience is sadly ignorant of firearms laws. You’ll be remembered for what you said, “…cold dead hands …OK…joking just a little bit there.” You are a bad American and I’m saddened you were ever a LEO.”
Cillian Zeal of Conservative Tribune points out that:
“In most of North Carolina, Fisher would generally seem to be a poor candidate with that kind of attitude. However, Buncombe County includes the ultra-liberal enclave of Asheville, a sort of San Francisco for the Tar Heel State. In fact, Fisher has served as a captain with the Asheville Police Department and is currently the county’s law enforcement training director. (And doesn’t that just make you feel safe?) There’s not a whole lot of polling out there, but those factors could mean he’s got a legitimate shot.
The fact that this guy was able to talk about being willing to kill people over the Second Amendment is a horrible omen. The fact that Moms Demand Action members thought it was funny was worse. This guy cannot become a sheriff. Buncombe County residents need to mobilize, and they need to mobilize now. The alternative is simply too grim to imagine.”
H/t FOTM‘s MomOfIV