Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge can’t be moved to do anything about unconstitutional payday lending in the state that pays her,  but a day rarely passes that she can’t mess in the politics of some other jurisdiction.

Today, it’s Washington, D.C. Federalism and local control are words without meaning to Rutledge when local governments do things she doesn’t like. In this case, it is the Washington D.C. City Council’s attempt to put limits on who may obtained concealed carry permits. Rutledge thinks the Council has gone too far and is joining others in court.

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Even if she’s right, I’m guessing the gun toters don’t need Leslie Rutledge’s help on this. But the poor victims of payday lending bloodsuckers in Arkansas do need help. Too bad for them.

Rutledge statement:

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Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general, urging the Washington D.C. Court of Appeals to strike down a restrictive and unlawful firearm law put in place by the Washington D.C. City Council.

The District refuses to issue a public-carry license to any law-abiding citizen unless the District believes, on a case-by-case basis, that a citizen has “good reason to fear injury.” The attorneys general believe that such a scheme makes it almost impossible for a normal citizen to obtain a license to carry a firearm, thus infringes the Second Amendment, and does nothing to improve public safety.

The attorneys general write in the brief that “the challenged regulation represents a policy choice that is foreclosed by the Second Amendment. Amici states are concerned that upholding the challenged regulation would rest on an erroneous construction of the United States Constitution and would infringe on individual rights. While states may enact reasonable firearm regulations that are substantially related to the achievement of an important governmental interest, the challenged regulation does nothing to improve public safety and instead may be counterproductive.”

“It is not my role, nor is it my intent, to interfere with local policy choices, but I have a duty to speak out when law-abiding citizens are having their Second Amendment rights trampled,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “The District, like Arkansas, is entitled to create permitting laws consistent with the Constitution, but this law goes far beyond that. It requires citizens to have and prove a special reason to exercise their right to bear a firearm. The permitting scheme is being applied to prevent the large majority of D.C. citizens from lawfully carrying a weapon.”

Led by Arizona, Rutledge is joined in the brief by attorneys general from Alabama, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Speaking of Rutledge: Did you catch that the Republican cabal is thinking about installing her daddy Keith Rutledge, a lawyer, in a fat job as head of the state Election Commission? He’s a finalist for the opening, now held on an interim basis by Heather “Republican” McKim, one of the Saline GOP mafia sent over to hold down a good state job at the commission, no doubt with a reference from Saline buddy and GOP Chair Doyle Webb. They want to make sure the Election Commission runs like it should in these times. McKim will stay on whoever is chosen as director. Keith Rutledge brings no obvious talents to the task — as it least one finalist for the job with specific relevant election supervision experience does — but he brings a long resume as a Republican regular with appointments to various positions by Republican politicians. Not to mention his personal connection to the commission’s lawyer.