“There are going to be some nervous Nellies, so to speak”

by David Safier

From the AP:

"There are going to be some nervous Nellies, so to speak, but I think that it will be overcome," said John Wentling, a leader of the Arizona Citizens Defense League, a gun owners advocacy group active at the Capitol. "We still have an obligation to protect constitutional and civil rights."

Wentling is one of the big supporters of the gun bills proposed in the Arizona legislature. It seems, according to Wentling and his friends in the legislature, our Second Amendment rights aren't being respected nearly enough.

"Arizona remains a place that is respectful and adamant about our Second Amendment rights, and I think the people of Arizona support that," said Adams, one of 61 Republicans making up two-thirds of the 90-member Legislature.

These same people are also "respectful and adamant" of our First Amendment rights, but they decided we should draw a circle of protection around a funeral so no protesters can use their rights of free speech to interrupt the solemn proceedings. Yet drawing a circle of protection around a college campus or a bar: that would be ridiculous. And protecting the public by making sure everyone who carries a concealed weapon gets a little training in how to use the weapon safely: also ridiculous.

YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET DEPARTMENT: According to Wentling, there's another gun bill in the works — his group's special favorite — but it hasn't been unveiled yet. It's a secret. In honor of our lax gun laws, let's just call it a piece of concealed legislation.