For the sake of keeping a catalogue of Republican hypocrisy and to give your brain its daily workout of stretching and twisting, I offer this item from the state of Tennessee, where I live.
Backers of closing TN handgun database request records
That's right, from the Tennessean
Supporters of blocking public access to the names and addresses of Tennesseans with handgun carry permits appear to have a hard time keeping their hands off the records.
Records obtained and reviewed by The Associated Press show that copies of the state's database of more than 257,000 handgun permit holders were recently requested by the state Republican Party and a direct mail contractor that has done extensive work for the GOP's legislative caucus.
The issue of closing the records has been around for a while, but got more attantion last year when the Memphis Commercial Appeal published the whole database on their website.
Tennessee Republicans and the NRA are apparently afraid that burglars will use the database to target homes where they can steal guns. That's right, the back-flip your brain just did is correct. With the records public, so they say, the gun that you bought to protect yourself from burglars will make you a more likely target of burglary. All those burglars out there are going to deliberately break into homes where they are certain that the homeowner is armed with a gun.
More hilarity
Rep. Stacey Campfield, R- Knoxville, voted to close the database but then asked for a copy in June. Campfield, who is mounting a bid for the state Senate, said he supports keeping the records open for inspection but not for publication.
Explain to me how that would work. You are going to have the information remain public, but forbid newspapers from publishing it. Have you heard of the First Amendment of the Constitution?
Lambert, who opposes the database's general publication, said, "What I have a problem with is these liberal papers trying to embarrass folks and intimidate folks by publishing their names."
I thought the people with the guns were all the tough-guy, go-ahead-make-my-day types. Having their name made public intimidates them, but only if a liberal newspaper does it?
For anyone interestd, the argument for making these records public is simple
Open government advocates say access to the permit records helps the public monitor whether the state is properly issuing and revoking permits for those not allowed to carry handguns.