Priorities

“TN board moves toward new rules on compounding pharmacies” read a headline in the Nashville, Tennessean, on March 14, 2013.  The article went on to say that tainted steroid shots sickened 722 people and killed 50 in 20 states including 14 deaths in Tennessee.  This has prompted state agencies to take action to prevent a recurrence of such a tragedy.  Putting things in perspective, in 2010, in the United States, there were 31,076 deaths from firearms.  In addition, 73,505 others received non-fatal injuries from guns.  One has to wonder if the lives of the 50 lost to tainted steroids were so much more valuable than the 31,067 lost to gun violence.  It would appear to be the case in Tennessee.  While there has already been action taken to try to prevent a recurrence of the tainted steroid problem, the only action taken in Tennessee where it involved preventing gun violence was actually none.  To the contrary, the Tennessee Legislature passed laws that made it easier for people to carry guns in places previously restricted to the possession of firearms.  The Legislature has also crafted a law that would allow Tennessee to basically ignore federal firearm regulations and prevent federal officials from preventing possession of illegal weapons.  Before one of the batcrap crazy gun nuts starts spouting 2nd Amendment nonsense there were 31,076 Americans who, if still alive, would assert that they had a right to stay alive and another 73,505 Americans who wold probably insist that there is nothing in the 2^nd Amendment that gave anyone the right to shoot them.  The 2^nd Amendments does grant members of a  WELL REGULATED militia the right to bear arms, but there is nothing in the 2^nd Amendment that grants the right of incompetent, irresponsible individuals to shoot guns at others.  If it is important enough for an agency of the state to take action to protect Tennesseans from tainted steroids one cannot help but wonder why protection from guns is not equally, if not far more, important.