President Obama and Congressional Democrats refused to fight Republicans and the NRA on a despicably unrelated amendment to the credit card reform bill, which will now allow gun owners to carry loaded, accessible firearms into national parks and wildlife refuges.
At a time when gun violence kills more Americans than ever before, the amendment's sponsor Senator Tom Coburn wants more guns to be carried in more places. Especially in the places we fear most-national parks and wildlife refuges.
Who doesn't tremble at the thought of strolling through Yosemite without a loaded handgun? Danger lurks at every turn. The elderly woman behind the counter at the gift shop could, without warning, lunge at your child. Or worse-try to steal the 94 ounce drink he's guzzling.
And the threats posed by wildlife refuges are endless. That flock of pink flamingos might seem harmless, but who's to say your NRA pin won't set them off into uncontrolled mayhem?
I'm sure Coburn's amendment is heartily endorsed by the Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. This group believes that all college students should be armed to the teeth, while still listening to their IPods and texting their classmates.
And they have company. As of today, there are thirteen states considering legislation to expand firearm carry on campus. No state is considering legislation to make it harder to buy a gun.
And almost no one in Congress these days has the courage to speak out for gun control. Gun control, their advisors say, is so 1980's. Which was when Ronald Reagan's Secretary of the Interior James Watt,who was rightfully the butt of many jokes, actually did the right thing. He introduced regulations banning loaded guns in national parks and wildlife refuges. And after Reagan and his press secretary were shot, the Brady Bill was actually passed.
And once and for all, let's stop worrying about the rights of hunters. If you enjoy blowing away deer, who to my knowledge are unarmed, then you deserve to have a hard time buying a gun. No one should be allowed to buy any gun, without a background check and a waiting period. A hunter doesn't walk into a gun shop, and say "I need a gun right now, there's a deer over there." And hunters never, ever need a concealed weapon. When you're hunting deer, you really don't need the element of surprise. The deer knows you're not there for a photo shoot for the Discovery Channel.
Tom Coburn and most Republicans may be "pro-life" when it comes to a fetus. But if you're strolling through a park, a wildlife refuge or a college campus, you're fair game.