I may have spotted a unicorn

It's possible we Michiganders have that rarest of political critters, a semi-sane Republican, down in Lansing. Governor Rick Snyder vetoed a bill that would have allowed persons convicted of domestic violence to obtain concealed carry weapons permits. The Michigan state senate and legislature both have Republican majorities; the bill had passed easily, although there had been the usual amount of bloviating about how putting concealed weapons into the hands of people who had already shown they thought violence was a good way to solve problems was actually a good way to make everyone safer.

Made perfect sense to me -- after all, doesn't every victim of violence want to be reassured that, hey,you know that borderline psychotic you had to get a restraining order against? The crazy lady who tried to beat you to death with a frying pan or the flaming asshole who put you in the hospital with broken ribs? Well, good news. Next time they'll be able to make it fast and just shoot you. Yeah, your odds of survival just went down, but look on the bright side. At least it'll be quick.

I do not know what effect, if any, Michigan's current law regarding gun ownership and domestic violence may or may not have had on domestic violence in general in the state. I do have anecdotal evidence that it has caused a few people to think twice when they've been in volatile relationships, but we all know that the plural of anecdote is not data. It has always struck me as being a common sense measure, though. After all, if you can't be trusted to be in an intimate relationship with another person without resorting to violence, why on earth should anyone believe you're mentally stable enough to be trusted with a gun?

Rick Snyder is definitely not one of my favorite people, but he does seem to have a pragmatic streak. Every so often he does somethng that actually makes sense. Then again, at this point in his political career he can afford to. He was re-elected to a second term in November. It's also his last term as Michigan sets a two-term limit on its governors.