WITH GUNS, NOT BANJOS

State legislators are considering a bill that would allow them to carry concealed weapons while working at the Statehouse, among other places, which experts say could lead to a rise in 18th Century-style dueling.

A bill, pending before a House subcommittee Thursday, would allow some members of the state’s General Assembly to carry firearms around the Capitol grounds and into other public buildings such as schools.

The change in state law would only apply to lawmakers who have a valid concealed weapons permit, which signifies they have undergone eight hours of handgun training and passed criminal and mental background checks.

The bill’s sponsor Rep. Keith Kelly, R-Spartanburg, filed the bill late in the session last year after he learned 12 other categories of public servants — but not lawmakers — are allowed to carry firearms into public buildings while doing business. Those public servants are Supreme Court justices and other judges, along with solicitors and workers’ compensation commissioners. [GINA SMITH - The State]

As someone who advocates the return of colonial wigs and knee-high knickers, this is great news. No longer will our General Assembly be forced to wander the Capitol grounds, aimlessly smacking each other across the face with their gloves, with no possible recourse to settle disputes or defend their honor.

I would even go so far as to amend the bill to include a designated dueling grounds, probably near the statue of Strom Thurmond. This way, they won’t need to vote on things anymore, they can just duel. Every time voters drive by the Statehouse and hear gunshots, they will know that is the sound of Democracy in action.

Plus, I would like to see Gov. Mark Sanford show up with his media parade knowing that the people he’s antagonizing are all packing heat. He would either have to take his war with the legislature to a whole new level, or run away like a little girl. And I’m guessing that would be the last of his little hit lists.

Anyway, The State newspaper is polling readers as to whether or not they believe members should be able to carry on the Statehouse grounds. Of 252 responses so far, only 40 percent say they should. I guess we should be able to trust them with our budget before we can trust them not to kill each other.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 at 1:24 pm and is filed under Legislature. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.