Hurricane Katrina's wake has a lot of people scrambling to put together an emergency preparedness kit. (Not me, of course, because I already have one.) But when the Arlington Police Chief was asked about personal protection, he stopped short of demonizing guns and instead stressed that it was a personal choice and that those that do opt to arm themselves practice good gun safety.

Arlington officials expressed caution as to whether local residents should have a weapon on hand to protect themselves.

Police Chief Douglas Scott declined to offer a recommendation one way or another, saying it was a choice each individual should be responsible for making.

"Lots of people absolutely don't feel comfortable owning a gun," Scott said. "Responsible gun owners might decide that they want a firearm to be a part of their emergency preparedness kit." [...]

"Our encouragement is always to take proper precautions, particularly around kids," Scott said.

This may not sound like much, but keep in mind that this is a huge step for Arlington, a deep blue county with a shaky record on gun freedom.