For a group of elected representatives who came to Nashville promising to avoid confrontational social issues as they focused on jobs, jobs, jobs, this session of the Tennessee General Assembly sure smells a lot like the last one...
Already they've proposed a measure to require teachers to "out" gay students to their parents, and to force women to undergo an unnecessary ultrasound exam before they can get an abortion in Tennessee. (Well, I guess there might be a jobs component involved in that last measure, if you're an out-of-work ultrasound tech.)
But yesterday the Senate passed SB 142 by a vote of 28-5 which would allow registered handgun carry permit holders to leave their loaded weapons in the trunks or glove compartment of their vehicles while at work, regardless of their employers' rules concerning firearms on company property.
During the last session of the General Assembly an identical bill was tabled by the third-ranking Republican in the state House of Reprehensibles, and because of that unforgivable offense the National Rifle Association poured a ton of money into the campaign coffers of her hand-picked primary opponent. Rep. Debra Maggart no longer serves in the House. Those moderate Republicans (and a couple of terrified Democrats) in the current state Senate took notice of Maggart's ouster from the legislature and voted to pass the measure, rather than risk being primaried by the NRA in the next election cycle.
But an interesting argument in favor of allowing guns in trunks was made on the floor of the Senate yesterday. Sen. Mark "Take the Last Train to Clarksville" Green spouted the very same line offered by the NRA's Wayne LaPierre to justify supporting the measure:
"The only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is good guy with a gun."
Funny thing is, one of the arguments the NRA and the Republicans made LAST year was that because loaded weapons would be locked in trunks or glove compartments they wouldn't be readily accessible to employees who might want to scratch a disgruntled itch in the workplace. They'd have to go to the parking lot, unlock a trunk, then return to work with the weapon in order to take part in a workplace shooting... something we were assured was highly unlikely.
Now they're making the argument that if someone DOES bring a gun into the workplace, the other employees will be able to quickly acquire their own weapons for self-defense.
Well, hell, which is it? Are the guns safely out of reach, or are they a holster pull away?
What's abundantly clear is that the gun lobby controls our legislature, and a certain group of lawmakers can't wait to do their bidding.
Already they've proposed a measure to require teachers to "out" gay students to their parents, and to force women to undergo an unnecessary ultrasound exam before they can get an abortion in Tennessee. (Well, I guess there might be a jobs component involved in that last measure, if you're an out-of-work ultrasound tech.)
But yesterday the Senate passed SB 142 by a vote of 28-5 which would allow registered handgun carry permit holders to leave their loaded weapons in the trunks or glove compartment of their vehicles while at work, regardless of their employers' rules concerning firearms on company property.
During the last session of the General Assembly an identical bill was tabled by the third-ranking Republican in the state House of Reprehensibles, and because of that unforgivable offense the National Rifle Association poured a ton of money into the campaign coffers of her hand-picked primary opponent. Rep. Debra Maggart no longer serves in the House. Those moderate Republicans (and a couple of terrified Democrats) in the current state Senate took notice of Maggart's ouster from the legislature and voted to pass the measure, rather than risk being primaried by the NRA in the next election cycle.
But an interesting argument in favor of allowing guns in trunks was made on the floor of the Senate yesterday. Sen. Mark "Take the Last Train to Clarksville" Green spouted the very same line offered by the NRA's Wayne LaPierre to justify supporting the measure:
"The only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is good guy with a gun."
Funny thing is, one of the arguments the NRA and the Republicans made LAST year was that because loaded weapons would be locked in trunks or glove compartments they wouldn't be readily accessible to employees who might want to scratch a disgruntled itch in the workplace. They'd have to go to the parking lot, unlock a trunk, then return to work with the weapon in order to take part in a workplace shooting... something we were assured was highly unlikely.
Now they're making the argument that if someone DOES bring a gun into the workplace, the other employees will be able to quickly acquire their own weapons for self-defense.
Well, hell, which is it? Are the guns safely out of reach, or are they a holster pull away?
What's abundantly clear is that the gun lobby controls our legislature, and a certain group of lawmakers can't wait to do their bidding.
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