Government is often a dangerous thing. If they think they can do something, they generally do it. As people, we tend to ignore that reality when it’s something we like, of course, but it’s still a dangerous thing. A government that grows too big can eventually devour everything. Look at how great a shape Venezuela is in, just for an example.

It’s rare for a governmental entity to say they have the power to do something, but then simply opt not to do it. Yet that’s just what happened with the Michigan State Capitol Commission.

The Michigan State Capitol Commission does indeed have the power to decide whether guns are allowed inside the Capitol building, members agreed Tuesday.

But whether they’ll move to exercise that authority remains unclear.

An independent legal review requested by members at their last meeting concurred with Attorney General Dana Nessel’s opinion that the commission – which manages the state Capitol’s grounds and facilities – has the authority to set rules banning or regulating the use of guns in the Capitol.

That came as a surprise to some Republican members of the commission, which is made up of the Secretary of the Senate, the Clerk of the House, two members appointed by the governor and two members jointly appointed by the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House.

“Clearly, from what we’ve been given now on two occasions, (the decision) is thrown to us,” said John Truscott, the panel’s vice-chair. “We have to deal with it.”

Commission members demurred on making a final decision on the matter at its Tuesday meeting, instead opting to mull over various options and return to the question at a July 13 meeting.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer must be loving this one.

Of course, as noted, that doesn’t mean the commission won’t reach a decision at a later date, which is why I can’t really chalk this up as a win. A real win would have closed the door on this kind of foolishness indefinitely. Instead, gun rights advocates in Michigan have to sit and wait for almost two weeks to see if they’ll need to file a lawsuit or not.

That’s right, this isn’t over by any stretch.

If the commission moves to ban guns within the capitol, gun rights groups will file lawsuits seeking to overturn the decision. That can be a bit of a craps shoot, but the worst-case scenario for pro-Second Amendment groups is that nothing changes. That’s it. That means it’s worth it to put up a fight, even if you lose.

After all, the upside is a big win for the Second Amendment and a slap in the face of Whitmer and her buddies who have been pushing this foolishness.

Big upside and almost no downside. Why wouldn’t they sue?

With luck, the commission will simply refuse to do anything about guns in the capitol. That saves everyone a lot of time and effort. I don’t think Whitmer and company will be satisfied with that, though.