E.J. Dionne has a question for 2nd amendment-loving politicians: (h/t Washington Monthly)
I’ve been studying the deep thoughts of senators who regularly express their undying loyalty to the National Rifle Association, and I have decided that they should practice what they preach. They tell us that the best defense against crime is an armed citizenry and that laws restricting guns do nothing to stop violence.
If they believe that, why don’t they live by it?
Why would freedom-loving lawmakers want to hide behind guards and metal detectors? Shouldn’t NRA members be outraged that Second Amendment rights mean nothing in the very seat of our democracy?
Congress seems to think that gun restrictions are for wimps. It voted this year to allow people to bring their weapons into national parks, and pro-gun legislators have pushed for the right to carry in taverns, colleges and workplaces. Shouldn’t Congress set an example in its own workplace?
Yes, if carrying concealed weapons everywhere makes you safer, why wouldn’t the Senate want to be the safest workplace in the world? So, who’s going to sponsor the bill? We wouldn’t want our politicians to be hypocrites would we?