Who wants to be like Connecticut? High per capita income. High education achievement. And now, tough gun control laws.

The legislation includes a ban on the sale of magazines carrying 10 or more bullets and requires registration of existing ones. It also includes an expansion of the existing assault weapons ban, requires background checks on all firearms sales and sets up a registry of weapons offenders. Among the mental health measures are changes intended to require insurers to make faster decisions on coverage for mental health and substance abuse issues, a program to help educators recognize signs of mental illness and a doubling in the number of specialized treatment teams providing intensive support to people with serious mental illness.

We need not fear such here, of course. And speaking of guns: Can you imagine an organization more unhinged about guns than the NRA? Imagine it. The Gun Owners of America says its missionis to stay on top of the N.R.A. “when we don’t think they’ve gone far enough.” Zounds.

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Care to see the number of bills introduced this session — against no demonstrated threat — to promote more and more unregulated firearms in Arkansas? Go to legislative search page and plug “firearm” into the word search field. Quite a list. Amazingly, a few didn’t pass. Not to worry, the Gun Owners of America are on the case.

Not to mention the likes of U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, who’s joined the NRA paranoia-fueled opposition to a UN treaty to regulate arms sales to tyrant regimes. The dubious and groundless argument is that it would somehow impede domestic gun rights. If you want the NRA line, you can read Cotton’s news release.

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