Aside from the loophole that should be closed that allows anyone to walk into a gun show in many states and buy a weapon from private sellers without a background check, this newspaper's attitude toward gun regulation goes something like this: We don't need more gun legislation; we just need to enforce the laws we already have.

There's a bill concerning guns working its way through Congress now that was defeated a couple of years ago and deserves to be voted down again. HR 822, the Stearns Bill, would allow anyone with a permit to carry a concealed weapon issued in the state in which he or she resides to carry that weapon in any other state in the nation.

The bill would override the laws of almost every state by requiring each to accept concealed-handgun permits from any state, even if the permit holder could not be granted a license in, say, Pennsylvania, where requirements for permits are much tougher than in, for instance, Florida, where a concealed-carry permit is as easy to get as a library card. In Pennsylvania, one must be 21 to obtain such a permit, and those who are felons or convicted of dangerous misdemeanors or drug crimes can't get one. Other states aren't so picky.

Police organizations and a group called Mayors Against Illegal Guns are campaigning to defeat the bill, claiming that it would undercut states' rights and create serious problems for law enforcement.

We agree.