Dothan Eagle Partisan posturing

April 3

Alabama lawmakers seem determined to pass legislation with no practical purpose simply for the sake of appearance and to pander to a segment of its constituency.

Critical Race Theory is one such bugaboo. It’s not taught in public primary or secondary schools, and rarely comes up in higher education except in graduate level classes in particular fields. However, legislation to ban it has been filed in states across the nation, and the Alabama Board of Education enacted a prohibition about it. Now it’s simply a talking point in political campaigns. Last week, the state Senate overwhelmingly passed a measure that would prohibit law officers in the state from enforcing any federal directive “which limits or restricts the ownership, use, or possession of firearms, ammunition, or firearm accessories by law-abiding residents of the state.”

The measure has been sent to the House of Representatives for consideration, and the legislative session ends in four days. It’s likely to die when the clock runs out, and Alabama taxpayers should be relieved. While there’s little chance that the federal government is going to come for our guns, it’s all but guaranteed that this almost certainly unconstitutional legislation, if passed, would be quickly challenged in lengthy, expensive litigation bankrolled by taxpayers.

Alabama has a great many challenges that the state legislature never seems to get around to addressing. It’s time lawmakers turn their attention to problem solving instead of partisan posturing.