Arthur R. Kamm: Lawmaker hypocrites on guns

Regarding the June 18 Under the Dome article “Gun bill passes House, moves to Senate”: I was in the gallery listening to the House deliberations recently.

Of particular interest was the debate that led to passage of an amendment, having strong bipartisan support, that struck down a provision allowing legislators and staff to carry concealed guns in house. One legislator remarked that she would for the first time feel unsafe in the building. Another opined that hitting a target during practice is far different from firing the weapon in a stressful situation and that doing so in a crowded environment could imperial the safety of legislators and guests alike.

I wondered where this reasoning and broad agreement was two years ago when legislators permitted concealed guns in restaurants, paid events, playgrounds and other crowded venues attended by families and their children. There seems to be a different opinion on the matter when it is in their own backyard.

This story was originally published June 24, 2015 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Arthur R. Kamm: Lawmaker hypocrites on guns."