In case you hadn't heard, the Supreme Court in 2008 in District of Columbia v. Heller affirmed what most people (outside of the legal profession) probably thought anyway: the Second Amendment confers an individual right to possess a firearm (within limits, of course).  Nonetheless, Obama's ascension to the presidency set off a panic for many of the most fervent of gun rights supporters.  Reports came out of ammo shortages in many parts of the country as gun owners stocked up before the inevitable moment where the Democratic controlled congress ran roughshod over the Second Amendment and took away that right which,  as noted by Justice Scalia, traces its roots all the way back to 17th century England.

Perhaps using this fear as a launching point, gun rights groups have been pushing for more lax gun laws in many states.  I must preface this discussion by noting that I have recently become a gun owner, that I think guns can be a lot of fun (when used safely, of course), and that having one makes me feel safer knowing that when criminals, commies, terrorists, or zombies come busting down my door, I'll be ready.  However, as a gun owner, I'm also keenly aware of how dangerous they can be, and that's why I was shocked to hear that Tennessee had recently enacted a law that would allow handgun permit holders to bring firearms into bars and other restaurants.

Tennessee's guns-in-bars law, as originally enacted, was struck down as being unconstitutionally vague, but the ink had barely dried on the judge's signature when state legislators were already at work crafting a new bill to circumvent the holding.  Now, "Tennessee" and "gun-control" are two words you probably wouldn't normally associate (the state is ranked #35 out of 50 by the Brady Campaign in terms of the strength of its laws), but one has to question the logic of this law.  As mentioned above, I own a gun, and I'm glad I have the right to do so, but the idea that I shouldn't bring my gun into a bar doesn't offend me or come as a big shocker.  There are certain places that whatever reason one might conceive for needing a gun simply cannot overcome the risks.  Such places include courts (where they could be used to intimidate/kill witnesses, or by victims' families retaliating against their attackers), schools (I think it's pretty obvious), and probably places where people get liquored up and act either (a) violently, or (b) stupidly.  Think of every really drunk person you've ever seen who started a fight for no particular reason, or who thought it would be a good idea to do something that everyone else in the room knew was incredibly stupid and/or dangerous.  Now put a gun in that person's hand: it's not going to end well.  And what's the counterargument? Do bar patrons frequently get robbed in those establishments?

The biggest kicker for me, however, is that a recent poll of Tennessee voters revealed that 90% thought the guns-in-bars law is a bad idea, and 39% felt less safe after the law (before struck down) took effect.  It's no secret that gun rights advocates are generally very conservative, and yet while conservatives are almost universally decrying the Health Care bill in Congress (and rightly so) as anti-Democratic for how it is being despotically forced into passage despite its rampant unpopularity, conservative Tennessee state assemblymen are putting together an unpopular bill of their own (to be fair, many Democrats in the Tennessee legislature support the bill as well).  In both cases, it stands as a poignant reminder that, Left or Right, no matter the issue, politicians are keen on forgetting that they are representatives of the voters, and neither special interests nor their own unpopular ideals.