The Council Member Got Bitter, Clinging To Guns after Clinging to Religion

At last night's council meeting, a month after co-sponsoring a bill to promote prayer events orchestrated by fundamentalist Christians, CM Robert Duvall forcefully disputed a memorializing resolution that expresses opposition to the state's pending preemption of Metro laws against carrying guns in parks. Duvall imprecatorily poured out his indignation on bill sponsors by shouting that the criminals don't obey the laws and they carry guns in Metro Parks as if they were permitted.

It's one thing for Duvall to incite Nashvillians to stay away from Metro Parks by spreading the meme that they are all disproportionately saturated with gun-toting criminals relative to any street in Davidson County. And it's noteworthy when an elected promoter of biblical literalists ignores biblical teachings like "love your enemies," "do good to those who persecute you," and "turn the other cheek" in favor of advancing the NRA's interest in strapping more guns on people even if innocent bystanders hit the collateral damage side of the homocide ledger after various OK Corral shoot-'em-ups (further discouraging park visits).

But it is a horse of a different color when a council conservative will forsake the idea of home rule and brook the big-brother, nanny-state Tennessee General Assembly telling Metro Nashville what we can and cannot prohibit in our own local parks.