Don't Take Your Guns To Town, Boys

An amendment to a defense spending bill, sponsored by Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, would have allowed persons to carry guns across state lines. This means that if you live in Ten-uh-see where there are essentially no gun laws, you cannot carry a concealed weapon to a state like California which has very stringent laws.

The vote was 58-39 against. That the amendment was supported by the National Rifle Association and the Gun Owners of America should come as no surprise.

This was a small victory for gun control advocates in a year when Congress voted to allow people to carry loaded weapons into national parks and the Senate voted to basically wipe out the tough gun control laws in the nation's capital.

I make no bones about being violently against guns, except for hunting and recreation which doesn't include carrying them into parks and bars. I don't see that a law permitting concealed weapons makes any sense whatever. I don't think you'll find many of our finest who are too crazy about them.

Finally, where do these right wing Republicans and Democrats, who are always spouting states' rights, states' rights, states' rights, get off supporting a piece of legislation that ignores the rights of states?