Schuylkill Co. police chief under fire for YouTube videos
In this screen capture from Mark Kessler's mock-apology video, the Gilberton, Pa., police chief can be seen firing one of several weapons.
The Borough Council of Gilberton in Schuylkill County, Pa., meets tomorrow night to determine what to do about its police chief, Mark Kessler, who has made national headlines with his profanity-laced YouTube videos in the past week.
The gun enthusiast posted a mock-apology video last week for using foul language in his other videos about Secretary of State John Kerry, House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi and the United Nations.
In the video Kessler shows off his arsenal of weapons, alternately insulting liberals and rattling off deafening salvos of automatic weapons fire. You can view the video on YouTube. Be warned: It’s laced with heavy profanity.
Kessler, who also sits on the local school board, has since been condemned by the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association. The association issued a statement yesterday saying that while it respects Kessler’s constitutional right to bear arms, police leaders have a duty conduct themselves “in a manner that reflects the professionalism, discipline, courtesy and civility that are part of the values of the law enforcement profession.”
Kessler’s attorney Joseph Nahas said in a telephone interview that Kessler is not a member of the association, because he does not share their views on gun control. Nahas also stressed that Kessler is a “staunch advocate of the second amendment.” He said that Kessler made the videos in his time as a private citizen, and that he was doing nothing illegal.
In addition to hosting an internet radio show, “The Chief Kessler Show,” the self-proclaimed constitutionalist is the founder of the Constitutional Security Force, a gun-rights activist group. Earlier this year, Kessler helped draft the “2nd Amedment Preservation Resolution” which was later signed into law. The law is intended to protect the borough from the implementation of any federal or state gun control laws.
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