A few days ago, I asked why is there a separate federal statute for attempted murder of a member of Congress? While the discussion boiled down to a federal jurisdictional hook, the cynic in me still asks why certain people are entitled to additional protection of the law.

An imminent proposed bill that would “make it illegal to knowingly carry a gun within a 1,000 feet of certain high-profile government officials” raises similar questions, especially in a case where the liberty of others –even law abiding citizens who want to carry arms to protect themselves–is so blatantly infringed.

Update: Ann Althouse makes a similar point:

Because the murder-free-zone law that protects the rest of us is just not working well enough. The high official need a double layer of legal protection.

This piece from Politico provides more details:

Under federal law, it’s illegal to bring a gun within 1,000 feet of a school. King wants to apply that same standard to federal offices, including the president, vice president, members of Congress and federal judges.

Wonderful. US v. Lopez redux.