Except when he's not.

Read Sam Stein in today's Huffington Post:

... But apparently he takes the notion of cowboy diplomacy to a new level. A Democratic source tipped off the Huffington Post that back in 1997, when he was serving as a top adviser to Sen. Trent Lott, Scheunemann was arrested by Capitol Hill police for a gun violation.

According to a Washington Times article from February 1997, Scheunemann was spotted by a police unit with a shotgun case through the window of his car. They stopped him to ask if the case contained an actual gun. It did. Moreover, Scheunemann had several rounds of ammunition as well.

"The congressional aide was arrested, taken to police headquarters, fingerprinted and charged with possession of an unregistered firearm (an unloaded 12-gauge) and unregistered ammunition (two rounds)," the story went. Scheunemann, who would spend several hours in jail before his release, would eventually plead guilty to a lesser charge and pay a $500 fine.

The McCain campaign declined to comment.

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Sure, you might expect more from a guy who's billed $340,000 in lobbying expenses to the NRA since 2001, but what's a little disrespect for the law among friends?

As news reports show every week, simply being a "law-abiding gun owner" is not sufficient to being a competent gun owner.

Further, as this tragic example shows, all too often a gun kept "for protection" is instead used to injure or kill the owner, instead.

From WLNS CBS-6 (Lansing):

... But this was no robbery. Police say Subjoined Singh accidentally shot himself. He was working the late night shift and police say at around 2 A.M. Singh pulled out his gun and started playing with it in front of several customers when it went off. Police have security video showing how it all unfolded.

Lt. Aaron Kantor, Jackson Police Department: "Attempting to show to customers mistakenly thought it was unloaded when it was loaded, it was obviously very shocking to the people there at the time."

Inderjit Singh says his brother brought the gun as protection.

Inderjit Singh, brother of victim: "A lot of crime in this city, he bought it so no one messed with him."

In the end that gun took his brother's life. Singh says the family is dealing with the death the best they can and they're hoping their loss is a lesson for others.

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NewsWatch posted stories of the shooter's mental history and drug addiction on May 29.

Monday, this concealed carry permit-holder pleaded guilty to two counts of third degree assault, according to a report in today's Seattle Times:

A Snohomish man who opened fire at Seattle's Folklife Festival, wounding a couple and sending festivalgoers scurrying for cover, has pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree assault.

Clinton Grainger, a house painter with a history of drug addiction and schizophrenia, could receive up to eight months in jail when sentenced on Aug. 29, said Ian Goodhew, chief of staff for the King County Prosecutor's Office. Grainger pleaded guilty in King County Superior Court on Monday.

Police say that at about 6:30 p.m. on May 24, Grainger got into a fight with a man near the International Fountain at Seattle Center during the annual Folklife Festival, according to court charging papers. Grainger pushed the man and reached toward his ankle, where he had a pistol stashed in an ankle holster, charging documents say.

The man tackled Grainger in an attempt to wrestle the gun away from him, charging papers say. A second man joined in, and the gun went off — the gunpowder burned the face of one of the men, court papers say. The bullet then passed through a man's hand and a woman's thigh.

Grainger had obtained a concealed-weapons permit from the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office.

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Just the sort of "law-abiding gun owner" the gun lobby conveniently forgets when talking about the "benefits" of concealed carry.

This time the incident took place in Indiana.

From WISH CBS-8 (Indianapolis):

An Indianapolis man is in trouble with the law following a serious road rage incident on State Road 37 in Fishers.

Fifty-five-year-old Gregory M. Shmoll is facing several charges including pointing a firearm and intimidation.

Police said he took out a .357 magnum and opened fire on the Hummer of a woman driving along side him on I-69 Northbound.

Police said he was upset that he was being crowded by the woman driving the Hummer while trying to merge into his lane. Her left lane just north of I-465 was ending, and she told police she was trying to get over. That's when she said he shot at her and hit her right front fender.

The two kept driving and both got off onto State Road 37. It ended at 126th Street and Reynolds Drive where she told police he pointed the gun at her again and threatened her.

Moments later, he called 911 and reported himself.

...

The woman is said to be doing fine, just a bit shaken up. Shmoll has bonded out of the Hamilton County Jail. He did have a gun permit. However, we understand that state police are reviewing the case to see if he will face more charges in Marion County.

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Say it isn't so. Mr. Schmoll simply couldn't have pointed his .357 at woman - twice - in a road rage incident.

After all, he's a "law-abiding gun owner" with a concealed carry permit.

According to at least two reports.

The first in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

... Authorities have charged [James Patrick] Wonder with first degree murder.

Segarra said Wonder was a patient at the dialysis center.

The arrest ends a hunt that included more than 500 police officers from local, state and federal agencies, traffic roadblocks and the use of military Blackhawk helicopters.

Pettit was shot and killed Tuesday morning in the parking lot of the post office.

Police said Pettit was with his daughter when he got into an argument with another driver.

Police on Wednesday said Pettit, an internal affairs agent with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, was on-duty at the time and had his gun in his car.

The shooting left Pettit's family reeling and begging for justice.

"This man has destroyed my family and taken the love of my life," said his wife, Ileana Pettit, at a news conference before the arrest.

Wonder has a concealed weapons permit, according to state records.

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The second in the Miami Herald:

The man who police suspect killed a federal customs agent during a bizarre traffic dispute Tuesday was apprehended a day later in a Davie dialysis center after a massive manhunt, authorities said.

Police arrested James Wonder, 65, of Miramar, and charged him in connection with the shooting death of Donald J. Pettit, 52, of Pembroke Pines.

Pettit was gunned down -- shot once in the head -- in the parking lot of a post office at Pines Boulevard and Dykes Road as his 12-year-old daughter watched.

...

Wonder lives in Miramar with his wife of 30 years, Aurora.

Late Wednesday, she declined to speak with a reporter when reached by phone.

Her husband, who carries a concealed weapons permit, has no prior criminal history, according to public records.

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Is this the kind of person the NRA's Marion Hammer wants to take their guns to work in Florida, say, to Walt Disney World?

James Patrick Wonder, concealed carry permit-holder and "law-abiding gun owner" - right up to the point he was charged with murdering a Federal Customs officer in front of his 12-year-old daughter.