It seems that, every day, one finds in the Journal-World another example of our esteemed legislators at work sponsoring bills that do little or nothing to enhance the general welfare of the state or the residents thereof.

The latest example of such inane foolishness is a bill “supported by the NRA,” and others, which would limit lobbying for gun control. Supporters argue that “taxpayer funds should not be used to lobby for restrictions on legal products.”

What about regulations on the sale and use of liquor and cigarettes, both of which are legal and heavily regulated? By the above lame, myopic argument, the National Institutes of Health (a government entity) should not be allowed to inform the public of the known dangers of use of such products, both of which are known to be lethal. Well, guns are also lethal and do the job much more quickly. 

Please lay to rest the lame old argument that guns do not kill people; people kill people.  It is much easier to avoid or counter killers who do not have access to a gun.

We do wish for, but hold little hope of, a return to sanity by those who are duly elected to represent all of us rather than whichever special interest group is making the most noise. Our legislators need to spend more time and effort tending to the business of the state and the welfare of the general public, i.e. school funding, coming together to find a sensible budget, solving the state budget crisis and correcting the state’s broken tax structure. They need to spend less time, thought, energy and effort pushing the agendas of minority segments of their constituency.