WEDNESDAY ROUNDUP: Good Guys With Guns

This morning, Rep. Ted Hill presented House Bill 415 in House State Affairs. This bill would prohibit public school districts from banning guns on campus and instead allow teachers and staff who have enhanced concealed carry permits to carry during the school day. Hill and other supporters argued that this would not only create a first line of defense for potential school shootings, but act as a deterrent, since would-be shooters would not know who might be packing.

I live-tweeted the hearing here. In the end the committee passed the bill to the House floor on a party line vote.

Two prominent anti-gun groups, Everytown and Moms Demand Action, were represented at the hearing. They presented the same emotional arguments we have come to expect from the anti-2A crowd:

• One woman claimed to be a survivor of the Las Vegas shooting and said she would have been even more scared if concert-goers had been carrying.
• Another woman shared her “overwhelming sense of despair and lack of hope” she felt as the Legislature debates bills like this.
• One woman who claimed to be a 32 year veteran of the education system essentially said we should not trust teachers with guns.
• Finally, another woman went even further, worrying that exasperated teachers might go postal if they had guns close at hand.

I wonder how much of this anti-gun sentiment comes from a warped worldview. I’ve written before about how a firearm is neither good nor evil, neither moral nor immoral. A firearm is a tool to carry out the will of the person who wields it, and it is that person who determines good or evil.

Perhaps the biggest difference between a conservative and a progressive is in how each one views human nature. Conservatives have traditionally believed that people are naturally evil, a fallen race, and we need laws and society to rein in our worst impulses. Progressives, on the other hand, believe that humans are naturally good, and it is society that corrupts people and forces them to do wrong. Is it any wonder that progressives typically blame the gun rather than the hand that wields it? They believe that if guns were erased from society, then we would have peace and tranquility. This errant view of human nature has tragic consequences, as a gun in the hand of a female teacher can save not only her life but the lives of her students. The “good guy with a gun” is not a myth, but a foundational truth of our civilization.

In other news, if you’re not subscribed to Idaho Signal you’re missing out. Matt Edwards has put together a great daily lunchtime show that brings you updates from lawmakers and commentators alike. I’ve been on the show several times already, but today I’ll highlight this morning’s episode where IFF’s Fred Birnbaum talked about the new budget process:

I haven’t written much about national politics lately, because what’s going on in Idaho is so much more important. However, if you’re looking for a good post-mortem of the Ron DeSantis campaign, Auron MacIntyre and The Prudentialist do a fairly good job:

I know that many people are still fans of James Lindsay, who has been calling attention to the woke ideology for several years now. However, I and many others on the right have grown disillusioned with the way in which he stands against anything that has a chance of stopping that woke ideology. The Lotus Eaters lads explain it well here:

The Samsung phone has a groundbreaking new feature that uses AI to alter photographs. I wrote last week about the AI revolution and how it’s going to completely change the way we perceive reality. Tim Pool and crew had a good discussion about that a few days ago:

Finally, I came across this video by tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee about how to manage the process of growing as a content creator. Though he is talking specifically about YouTube, it applies to people in my position as well. I appreciated hearing his advice as someone who has “made it”.

I hope you’re all having a great week. The warmer weather has been nice after last week’s winter blast. Remember to catch me at the Gem County Lincoln Day Dinner on Saturday, February 3. Later!