While “Hoosier gun control” usually means “two-hands”, today I’m talking about something else. It’s nice to see that the IndyStar is still trying to wank up support for Rep. Orentlicher’s bill to kill gun shows “mandate background checks at gun shows.” It’s all well and good, because even the article admits that the bill probably won’t get a hearing. My favorite part is where the Indiana State Police spokesman that the Star talks to says “Yeah, criminals don’t really buy guns from gun shows”.
Of course, all the reason and logic in the world falls on deaf ears when it comes to the Brady Campaign, and of course Paul Helmke has to get his two cents in, this time with some patently made up statistic about how 40% of gun sales in the country are “unlicensed”. I’d love to see their “research” that produced that “statistic”, but I expect that it consists of blindfolded chimps tossing darts at a chart on the wall.
The article concludes with Helmke and Orentlicher complaining that the “majority of Hoosiers want tougher gun control”, but the big, bad NRA organized a “grass-roots” effort to make sure that we couldn’t get those tougher laws. Now, I may be a simple fellow, but doesn’t “grass-roots” generally indicate that it is supported by…the people? Which means that if a bunch of people (possibly the majority, or at least a vocal minority) got involved to stop “tougher” gun control…then…wouldn’t that remove the basis for Orentlicher and the Brady Bunch’s mandate? If you answered “yes”, you get a gold star.
Like I said, it’s all a moot point because his bill most likely won’t see the light of day, but it is cause for some concern. The Indy/Metro area controls a huge chunk of the votes in the state, and as people immigrate here from other (read: more liberal) parts of the country to pillage our lands take advantage of the excellent housing costs than I fear that silly ass bills like this will gain more and more traction in our state government.