Governor and guns

[Kolesar]

http://www.toledoblade.com/Editorials/2011/05/17/Governor-and-guns.html

Published: 5/17/2011

The General Assembly likely will soon send Gov. John Kasich a foolish bill that would allow concealed weapons in bars, restaurants, and other places where alcohol is served. If Mr. Kasich cares more about ensuring public safety than about pandering to special-interest extremists, he will veto it — emphatically.

Ohioans are not clamoring for this expansion of the state’s concealed-carry law. The state’s major law-enforcement organizations oppose the guns-in-bars bill. So do groups that represent restaurant and bar owners.

The bill’s provision that people who bring a gun to a bar can’t drink is so unenforceable as to be ludicrous. No matter: When gun lobbies snap their fingers, lawmakers know they have to jump.

Mr. Kasich now can allow himself to be intimidated by gun lobbies as well. Or he can be the voice of reason, rejecting the toxic mixture of guns and booze. Veto the bill, governor.