Glenn Beck and other Fox News types have been telling anyone who will listen -- and remarkably, that's several million people -- that President Obama is scheming to take away their guns (a falsehood that has already had lethal consequences.) Meanwhile, out in the reality-based world, the Verizon rule is in effect -- more guns in more places, including, yes, bars:
Cities and counties across Tennessee are preparing this week to deal with the fallout from a raft of pro-gun bills recently signed into law in the state, where Republicans are flexing their new-found strength in the legislature.
Among the new laws is one that would allow people who have gun permits to carry guns in all public parks in the state. Another would exempt from federal regulation guns and ammunition made in Tennessee and kept within its borders.
And that's not all:
Gun-rights advocates say expanded rights are needed so that law-abiding citizens can protect themselves in more situations. The new Tennessee laws also include measures that will allow permit holders to carry guns in bars and restaurants, if they are not drinking alcohol, and to carry a loaded rifle or shotgun in their vehicles if the ammunition is in the magazine but not in the chamber, although it can be in the chamber for purposes of self-defense.
Why?
“The purpose of this bill is to let people know we have state sovereignty and the federal government has no business telling us what to do,” State Senator Mae Beavers, a Mount Juliet Republican who sponsored the bill, said in an interview.
Exactly -- this whole thing is driven by politics, and a red state standing up to the big, bad and increasingly blue federal government in D.C. It's not about a sudden realization in 2009 that the way to make people safer is to encourage people to bring guns into bars (but tell them they're not supposed to drink!). At lrast Tennessee lawmakers haven't made it legal to carry guns into a church, like the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church where a man named Jim David Adkisson strolled in during a play and fatally gunned down two people.
For all the yukking it up about people running for governor in places like Georgia talking about secession, there's a very serious slippery slope forming here. And defying the handful of very weak federal laws regarding guns is that first slippery step.
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Genius might want to check the murder rates per capita by state. If he did, he'd find that they're overwhelmingly in the South. (The murder rates in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, NC, Oklahoma, SC, Tennessee and Texas are all higher than Pennsylvania's.) And let's say the words: anyone who thinks it's a good idea to make it legal to carry guns in bars is either more interested in grand, futile and dangerous gestures or an outright moron. Which, of course, is a pretty good description of most of Will's trolls.— DiTurno- Comment removed.
- The Philadelphia Democrats lead the country in murders and Will makes fun of the red states...typical leftist. How are those gun laws "banning guns" working in liberal Philadelphia, Will?— Dr. Michael
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A number of years ago there was columnist in DC who railed incessantly about gun control. His name was Carl Rowan. Typical liberal. Do as I say, not as I do. Rowan gained public notoriety on June 14, 1988, when he shot a teenage trespasser, Neil Smith, who was using Rowan's swimming pool in Washington, D.C.. Rowan used an unregistered .22 LR pistol. Critics charged hypocrisy, since Rowan was a strict gun control advocate. In a 1981 column, he advocated "a law that says anyone found in possession of a handgun except a legitimate officer of the law goes to jail—period." In 1985, he called for "A complete and universal federal ban on the sale, manufacture, importation and possession of handguns (except for authorized police and military personnel)." Typical elitist, and a columnist. Using liberal illogic, all columnists have guns. How many do you own Will? (The incident details were cut and pasted and not copyright covered). Oh yea, the big cities with the high murder rates are run by liberals. Just sayin'.— georgel- Oh, I forgot one thing. Must have been quite a barn burner of an appearance in NYC for the book. Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,049. He goes to flog this puppy in the east coast heart of liberal land and the rankings go down 5000 spots. Will, are you gettin' the message buddy?— georgel
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- Thanks, Georgel -- there's nothing like a 20 year old anecdote about a single person to really clarify an issue. Those paint chips you've been noshing? Not such a good idea.— DiTurno
- Gun laws, ie 2nd amendment, weren't instituted to protect us from each other, rather from the tyranny of an evil government. unfotunately, both civilians and our government have turned for the worse. Our leaders, both conservative and liberal, don't seem to know. Instead of blaming each other, maybe working together to resolve hate and ill will is the answer.— dmel8475
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
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