Armed to the Teeth

If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. So goes one of the more familiar semantic arguments proffered by the undying gun lobby. We can't help but wonder then, why, on Saturday in Arizona--with probably the most permissive gun laws in the country--it was apparently only the outlaw, Jared Loughner, who was packing heat? The argument that laws allowing people to carry guns freely make the streets safer (because criminals will hesitate to attack potentially armed people) has proven specious, at least in this case. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords herself, a proud and apparently proficient gun-owner, was unable to defend herself from her attacker.

And yet this latest tragedy is unlikely to convince people, particularly Arizonans, from rethinking their attitudes toward firearms. As columnist Gail Collins noted yesterday, Arizona last year received a score of two (out of a possible 100) from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. It received two points for NOT forcing colleges to allow people to bring guns on campus. At the same time, though, the Arizona legislature has recently considered a bill that would allow college professors to carry concealed weapons. They have also--

Wait a minute. . . "allow college professors to carry concealed weapons"?

Yknow what? We take it back. Arizona has absolutely the right idea. Guns are a good thing. Now, if you'll excuse us, it's time for office hours. "So, Johnny (click), you have a problem with your grade?"

Solipsistography

"In Tuscon, Guns Have a Broad Constituency"

"A Right to Bear Glocks?"

Image from "Where the Blog Has No Name"