We live in a world where idiocy is rampant. There's a reason why the people who call everyone racist also support the antisemitic folks attacking Jewish people, just to name one example.

Another example is how many people seem to think a gun-free zone sign on a door will stop bad people from carrying guns.

Despite that, gun-free zones are common enough throughout the nation. They happen to be popular spots for mass shootings, but that never seems to factor into such decisions.

In Newport News, Virginia, it seems that they're looking to join the chorus of the truly idiotic by banning guns in government buildings.

Newport News City Council on Tuesday is expected to vote on an ordinance that would prohibit people from possessing, carrying or transporting firearms in buildings owned or used by the city government.

The city currently prohibits the open carrying of firearms in city buildings and facilities. Still, it does not prohibit a concealed carry permit holder from bringing a concealed weapon. City code states that “No person shall openly possess, carry or transport any firearm, ammunition for a firearm, or any components or combination …” and goes onto list various prohibited locations. The proposed ordinance amendment removes “openly” from the text so that it reads, “No person shall possess, carry or transport any firearm …”

In addition to government-owned buildings, the new rules would apply to any recreation or community center facility operated by the city government or by any authority or local governmental entity created or controlled by the city.

In buildings not owned by the city, or by any authority or local governmental entity created or controlled by the city, the new rules would only apply to the part of the building that is being used for a governmental purpose and when such building is being used for a governmental purpose.

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The Virginia Citizens Defense League, a pro-gun rights organization, issued a news release opposing the proposed ordinance, critiquing it as an infringement on gun owners’ right to carry a firearm for self defense.

The organization did, however, praise one change made in the proposed ordinance, which crossed out public parks from a list of places prohibiting firearms.

Officials claim they're just being proactive in trying to respond to a changing landscape of threats, but banning guns entirely isn't exactly going to prevent bad things from happening.

While Virginia Beach wasn't able to ban the general public from bringing guns into municipal buildings in 2019, policies didn't bar employees from doing so. That didn't stop an employee from killing 12 innocent people.

There's no reason a more general prohibition on guns would do anything differently. In fact, it would likely result in municipal buildings becoming more viable targets for a would-be mass murderer simply because only a tiny handful of people would be armed in the first place. 

This is a terrible idea, and while I agree that removing parks from the list is a good move, a better move would be to scrap literally every word of the proposed ordinance.

The people of Newport News, where I once lived, deserve so much better than that.