On blatant hypocrisy

The SHOT Show (Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade) is going on in Las Vegas right now, despite the fact that 58 people were murdered and 851 were injured in a mass shooting there mere months ago. It seems in poor taste. Even more distasteful is the fact that Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson will be in attendance to help gun manufacturers drum up more customers.

But there’s no need to worry about the safety of Hutchinson or the gun dealers in Vegas this week. It’s not just gun-safety advocates who know that guns don’t make us safer; these firearm manufacturers know it, too. The SHOT Show is practically a gun-free zone. Per their website, “No personal firearms or ammunition allowed. Only firearms on display by exhibitors whose firing pins have been removed (and have been inspected by SHOT Show Safety Advisors) will be permitted on the show floor.”

These firearms experts are happy to make money off our tragedies, but clearly know better than to put themselves in the line of fire.

It’s appalling that our governor signed a bill in 2017 allowing loaded guns into bars and on our college campuses, which are two of the very last places guns should ever be. And it’s even more appalling that Hutchinson will enjoy a level of safety and peace of mind at the SHOT Show that he is denying to public college students in our state.

Has there ever been a more blatant display of hypocrisy?

AUSTIN BAILEY

Little Rock