COLUMN: Local ordinance is meaningless - but Frankfort took notice

 I don’t care for politics.

While some of my colleagues enter religious ecstasy during election years or when the General Assembly meets, I’d ignore the entire thing if I could.   

Too much bickering and not enough progress mark our state and federal governments.

As Rodney King is so often misquoted: “Can’t we all just get along?”

Many of the machinations leave me wondering, “Why?”

For instance, last month, the Kentucky Senate voted to ignore any federal laws dealing with gun ownership.

I don’t approve of the federal government’s continual meddling – but unless I’m missing something, the state has to abide by the higher government’s edicts.

The State certainly would not permit a local government to take that stance.

LaRue County Fiscal Court made that point by sending a message to the state. Last week, we ran an article about a “tongue-in-cheek” (that means “not serious”) ordinance that was given first reading by fiscal court.

It said the state was interfering with LaRue County’s ability to provide services for its citizens. In the future, the county was going to ignore unfunded mandates or any deemed “intrusive” by the state.

The thought was: If the state can ignore federal laws, why can’t the county ignore state laws?

LaRue County Judge/executive Tommy Turner said fiscal court won’t pass the ordinance and never intended to.

Frankfort got the message – and hopefully, a few faces turned red.

But ... unfortunately, some read the story and thought fiscal court was planning to tighten local gun laws – or ignore the state’s ignoring federal gun law – or something.

That’s not the case. 

If anything, our local government will – to the best of its ability – protect our ability to possess and carry firearms. A majority of Kentuckians treasure our Second Amendment rights.

Just ask us.

Do you believe in polls? I might – if they ever called me.

I do find them interesting, if not always believable.

The Courier-Journal Bluegrass Poll found that a majority of Kentuckians support gun-control measures proposed by President Barack Obama in the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings. 

But the results are mixed ....

They polled 700 residents and found 56 percent favor stricter gun control laws. 

On the other hand, 65 percent said they believe guns protect law-abiding citizens more than they make society more dangerous.

I wonder ... how did they word those poll questions?