In firearms-friendly state, gun lobby finds limit in advocating Second Amendment rights

Sunday, May 6, 2012 at 9:05pm

By Steven Hale

Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey (File)

The final reference on the floor of the state legislature to one of the most contentious issues of the session was met with bipartisan support.

Less than an hour before the General Assembly adjourned for the year, Rep. Eddie Bass (D-Prospect) rose and faked a motion to call up the so-called guns-in-parking-lots legislation.

He had sponsored two related bills on the matter. One prohibited businesses from banning the storage of firearms by employees in their cars parked on company lots. The other established protections against workplace discrimination for employees based on their ownership, storage or transportation of a firearm. Until the legislatures final day, the fate of both bills was not completely certain.

Madam Speaker, he deadpanned, with a sheet of paper in his hand. I move to suspend the necessary rules for the immediate consideration ... oh, wait a minute, thats the wrong one.

The members burst into laughter and applauded.

There was likely relief in the laughter, at least for the leadership of both parties. The states top Republicans had exerted plenty of energy in an ultimately successful effort to keep the issue from getting to the floor of either chamber. Knowing that, and hoping to foster Republican infighting, leading Democrats had tried to force a floor vote on legislation they had no intention of supporting.

For the states gun lobby, however, which spent the session aggressively working the issue, things did not end on a cheerful note. They left the Hill feeling stiffed.

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In firearms-friendly state, gun lobby finds limit in advocating Second Amendment rights