Asking questions isn't anything to be upset about, as a general thing. I encourage people to ask questions because it's the only way to fill in gaps in one's knowledge. In fact, I tend to get a lot more upset when people spout nonsense because they didn't bother to ask questions in the first place.

But then governments ask questions.

In and of itself, there's still nothing wrong about it. Finding out what the people think on various topics can be good, I suppose. Especially if it doesn't really add expenses to that government's budget.

As for questions, some people say there are no stupid ones.

Yet Memphis seems to be determined to prove those folks wrong.

Memphis City Council approved a referendum Tuesday to ask voters whether they would support regulations on firearms in the city.

The slate of questions will appear on ballots for the Nov. 5 election. All council members present Tuesday voted in favor on the ordinance’s third and final reading.

Those questions ask voters whether they approve amending the city’s charter to require a handgun permit, restrict storage of guns in vehicles in many cases, ban assault weapons sales after Jan. 1, 2025 and enact extreme risk protection orders.

Measures like these have been consistently voted down in the Tennessee General Assembly.

Memphis City Council began considering a referendum on gun control last May, saying the city of more than 600,000 residents faced a situation unique among Tennessee’s more rural towns and counties.

Some city officials, including those in law enforcement, have placed part of the blame for the increase in killings on recent state laws allowing guns to be stored in vehicles, among other measures that expanded gun carry rights.

There's just one problem with this: There's absolutely no reason to ask these questions.

While these questions aren't binding by any stretch of the imagination, there's also no chance in Hades of the city of Memphis being able to act if the public decides to support local gun control. None of those measures will accomplish anything and have failed everywhere they've actually been enacted, but even if they worked, it's irrelevant. 

Tennessee has preemption, which means that no matter how many people in Memphis want to restrict people's gun rights, it doesn't matter because it's illegal for them to pass any such law.

No, having people vote on these questions doesn't actually create gun control, but it also doesn't really do anything to address the problems that the city of Memphis has. Yes, law enforcement are putting the blame for these murders on something beyond their control, but how much of that is because it's the truth (none, actually) and how much is to protect themselves from criticism by arguing that it is beyond their control?

They kind of have a vested interest in covering their posteriors, after all.

Now, they might truly believe what they're saying, but it also doesn't matter because the laws can't change locally and even if they did, the worst they could do is create a misdemeanor charge. That's not really going to do much to address the homicide rate in the community. I seriously doubt someone inclined to kill another will give up their wicked ways because they got a fine, after all.

So yeah, there are stupid questions, and Memphis is asking three of them.