GOP shoots self in foot

After the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, in Las Vegas on Oct. 1, Republicans on Capitol Hill postponed action on several measures that would expand gun rights. But apparently they couldn’t wait forever to torpedo the party’s political future. And so last week the House voted 231 to 198 to pass the National Rifle Association’s “highest legislative priority,” a measure that would allow individuals with permits to carry concealed weapons in one state, to carry them in every state that allows concealed weapons.

Perhaps they figured the GOP is so badly damaged by the possibility that an alleged child molester representing the party will be elected to the U.S. Senate this week, and by a tax bill that has been caricatured by the progressive left as a giveaway to the wealthy, that they have nothing to lose. The odds of the measure winning enough support to pass the Senate are fairly remote anyway, so why not call the vote?

But with this vote the party that champions states’ rights has sent the message that sometimes it’s fine to flush them down the toilet. Some states have strict laws about who can qualify for a concealedcarry permit; others, not so much. If this bill were to become law those distinctions would disappear in a cloud of smoke.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said after the vote that current law “creates confusion for people who cross state borders with a lawful concealed carry permit.” But there is no “confusion.” A concealed carry permit is valid in the state where it is issued. That doesn’t need to change.