Memory Hole, Tennessee & Guns Edition

With the Republicans in control of the Tennessee legislature, we've got a rash of wingnutty bills hitting the floor, including one to allow concealed weapons in restaurants as long as they close at 11 pm.

This strikes me as ridiculous, but anyone who knows me knows I'm not a Second Amendment fan. I think allowing ownership of firearms for the purposes of a state militia is one thing, but when we allow any old asshole to carry a concealed weapon "to protect me and my family" we're giving vigilantism the status of a state militia. I don't like guns and I don't trust most people who own them. I think you need to be super-responsible if you're going to own a weapon. You need to be trained in its use and you need to keep it locked up and out of reach of every asshole who'd like to play with it. Too few people meet that standard, IMHO.

I don't get why people need weapons, to be honest. I don't in general have much in common with folks who live in fear all the time, that's a worldview very alien to me. That said, here's a clip from the Colbert Report back when Doug Jackson wanted to allow guns in bars: