Washington is the problem. Just ask any House Republican on any subject. Leave the states alone and they'll figure it out, until it comes to keeping the streets safe in those states.

The House this week passed the National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act, which overrides the various states' judgment regarding handgun possession. Under the bill, a state would have to honor the concealed carry permits of any other state, regardless of whether the other state has comparable standards.

For example, Tennessee - hardly a bastion of liberal activism - requires permit holders not to be intoxicated while carrying a gun. Under the federal law, however, it would not be able to enforce that provision against an armed, drunken permit-holder if the permit was issued by another state.

States that require their own residents to enroll in weapons-handling courses as a prerequisite to obtaining a permit would have to honor permits issued by states with far looser rules.

This bill should be renamed the "Empowering Interstate Criminals Act." The Senate should reject it in the name of public safety and states' rights to enforce it.