One of the biggest problems I routinely see is that people who push for new gun laws don’t understand anything about firearms. From lawmakers who think a barrel shroud is “the shoulder thingy that goes up” to those who believe you can shoot down a jumbo jet with an AR-15, there’s an awful lot of dumb that flies from the mouths of gun control advocates.

And, since we live in a country that values free speech, there’s not much we can do about it.

But what happens when those who make the laws don’t understand anything about firearms? Well, you get idiotic laws, that’s what.

Now, a Washington state lawmaker wants to change that. Well, probably.

State Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, has introduced legislation in advance of the 2019 legislative session that would require lawmakers who draft gun legislation to be trained and pass a test.

“We have legislators drafting bills who have no idea how firearms work or any sense of firearm nomenclature,” Fortunato said. “When decision makers want to restrict someone’s constitutional rights, they shouldn’t go off half-cocked.”

Let’s break to applaud the well-placed pun.

Fortunato’s bill would require legislators who want to draft legislation to pass the state’s criminal justice firearms training for each firearm they wish to regulate. In addition to classroom and live-fire requirements, legislators would also need to pass range safety officer training, and be able to pass a knowledge test for calibers and gauges of firearms.

Fortunato points to some of the idiocy we’ve heard from lawmakers throughout the country who have said some pretty asinine things about the firearms they want to regulate.

Now, realistically, Fortunato’s bill isn’t going to go much of anywhere. Lawmakers don’t like limits on their ability pass laws, even if they’re stupid. It’s a symbolic bill more than anything.

But that doesn’t make it less glorious.

I hope that we do get some actual debate on this. I’d love to hear opponents wax poetically about how there shouldn’t be training required to exercise their constitutional duties…only to have the fact that we’re talking about a constitutional right they’re constantly wanting to regulate.

There will be those who will look at Fortunato’s bill and be outraged, of course. They’ll be furious that anyone would try to make a mockery of the legislative process.

Of course, I’ve looked at all the nonsense in I-1639, so I could easily counter that argument by pointing out the legislative process already is a mockery.

Now, I’d love to be wrong and have this pass. It would take a miracle, but it would be awesome to watch it happen. I’d also like to see this measure taken up in other states. I love the idea that anti-gun lawmakers would have to learn something about the topic they want to regulate so heavily, especially since I’m pretty sure some would wet their pants in the process.

Hat tip: The Truth About Guns