If the Legislature was run like a court..

So now there's a flare up of talk about gun control due to a shooting incident at Folklife, the big Memorial Day gathering at Seattle Center.

My question is, where is the discussion of what works in other states? All the statistical evidence shows that there is no identifiable connection between gun control and the homicide rate in any given state. If gun control worked, wouldn't there be a lower crime rate in states with stricter gun control?

Likewise, every time there's a proposal to change the liquor laws there's screaming that it will encourage alcohol abuse, DUI, etc. Here, you have to go to the state-owned liquor store if you want a bottle of Scotch. In other states, you can buy it off the shelf at Safeway. Has anyone looked at whether people drink more and/or commit DUI more often in those states?

The Legislature runs on sound bites, not evidence. So much of my time is spent cleaning up and/or working around the results of that that it isn't funny.