JAMES WEBB CAPITOL GUN UPDATE:

Sen. James Webb (D-Va.) said he owns the gun that an aide was arrested for carrying into the U.S. Capitol complex in March.

“It’s my gun,” Webb told the Richmond Times-Dispatch last week.

Webb previously had refused to say whether the gun was his. The Washington Post reported at the time of the incident that the aide, Phillip Thompson, told authorities that the weapon belonged to Webb.

Thompson was arrested on an illegal handgun charge when he carried the loaded pistol and two other loaded magazines in a briefcase into the Russell Senate Office Building. A federal prosecutor later dropped the charge.

Webb said little about the incident in March.

“It was a matter under legal consideration, and I was precluded from saying anything,” Webb told the Richmond newspaper. “And I hope you’ll understand that in matters of self-defense up here, it doesn’t do anybody’s safety a lot of good by talking about this stuff. We’re pretty vulnerable up here.”

So the gun was Webb’s all along. Why didn’t he say so? I can’t see what would have “precluded” him from stepping up and admitting that it was his gun.

And as for feeling “pretty vulnerable” despite the presence of the Capitol Police — well, lots of Americans are a lot more vulnerable than Senators. How about sponsoring a national concealed-carry bill, Senator Webb?

UPDATE: More thoughts from SayUncle.