Tyler Cowen cites a news story on the culture that is Texas — a story that takes on a darker tone right after a mad assassin has struck a political rally:
Some members of the Capitol press corps took a 10-hour concealed handgun safety and shooting class this week — an exercise less about getting a weapon than getting into the Capitol.
Visitors now must pass through metal detectors, virtually guaranteeing delays. But there’s an express lane for people with a concealed handgun permit.
The theory, apparently, is that people licensed to pack heat have undergone a thorough background check and can be waved right through.
So in the name of journalism, reporters covering the Legislature who must get into Capitol daily — sometimes several times a day — took the weapons course Thursday.
It took place outside of Austin at the hunting superstore Cabela’s, a sort of saturnalia of stuffed animals, food dehydrators and camo gear.
The logic is sound — those with licenses are more-or-less deputized — but the system is unavoidably imperfect. A 22-year-old paranoid schizophrenic who is known to be crazy — like Loughner — doesn’t necessarily have any legal record saying so.