Perspectives: Sam’s Perspective – Guns for Lawmakers

The annual pilgrimage has been made to Oklahoma City. Yes, the chickens have come home to roost. Lawmakers are now back in session where it will be determined whether or not any of the over 2-thousand bill they filed should, could, would benefit the people that sent them there or if more eggs have been laid. Some of the bills have a serious ring, as though they might be of benefit. Cracking down on porch pirates and email privacy, raising the minimum wage, raising the speed limit to 85 on parts of the freeway and prevent labeling of a product as milk unless it comes from a hoofed mammal. You may not know it, but the dairy industry is facing some serious problems, and this might help, in Oklahoma anyway. Of course, there is another abortion bill, nothing unusual there.
But there’s also the fun stuff, things we have to laugh at, to keep us from falling down crying. Help me out here, in addition to their duties of taking care of the state, aren’t elected officials also supposed to lead by example? I think I’m right on this. So why is that little fella in the Oklahoma House trying to take us back to the beginning of Statehood? Seems Representative David Hardin, a Republican from Stillwell believes lawmakers are under such a threat that they need to carry guns in the Capitol. So, he’s introduced a bill that would allow legislators and current or former law enforcement officials to carry firearms into the Capitol and other buildings owned or leased by the state. Dandy! It’s a silly proposal that carries so much potential for dumbness that it just might become a state law. That’s what scares me.
I understand the legislature is and always has been a cross section of the population but how in the world can we accept an idea like this. State lawmakers packing iron on the job.
Give that some thought the next time you remember it took years, years mind you to pass the Real ID bill and cost us millions of dollars in the process all because they were concerned that Uncle Sam might know too much about us. Or what about the situation involving taxpayer dollars for private schools when public schools are so deserving of state support. About the only good, guns for lawmakers will produce will be increased suspender sales. We haven’t even talked about accidental shots being fired into the ceiling of an old capitol building that already leaks when it rains. Guns for lawmakers at work, if you can call it that. It isn’t needed and there is other much more serious work to be done.
I’m Sam Jones and that’s my Perspective.