On the 285-day anniversary of the News and Tribune's last New Albany beat reporter, an editorial about guns.

By our Jeffersonville-based chain paper's normal standards, this editorial is timely to the point of bizarre. The only changed variable compared with past inconsistencies is the arrival of Susan Duncan as editor, so my guess is we have her to thank.

Thank you.

Now, about the 10-month-long chasm of a hiatus in truly meaningful coverage of New Albany news? C'mon, dudes. Your Hanson is showing.

OUR OPINION: Our national dilemma: guns

The Constitution on which the Second Amendment is written can no longer sop up the blood staining our streets; it is saturated.

It is far too easy for those intent on evil to obtain guns in America. Our denial of that truth will only result in more deaths. It is time we, as a nation, have an open discussion about stricter and more comprehensive background checks. While most states require a basic background check, nothing keeps us from purchasing a gun from a neighbor or someone off the street, where no background check is needed.

For the record ...

The News and Tribune editorial board is comprised of Publisher Bill Hanson, Editor Susan Duncan, Digital Editor Claire Munn, Assistant Editor Chris Morris and Assistant Editor Jason Thomas. Responses can be sent to susan.duncan@newsandtribune.com

ASK THE BORED: As for stopping gun ignorance, "This board is not into civil disobedience."

At some point, I'll know better than to schedule personal meetings for Tuesday morning. On June 21, a lawyer; on the 28th, my mother's medical appointment; and this morning, something I hope might lead to part-time work. To avoid the feeling of letting the side down yet again, here is an amusing excerpt from last week's BOW meeting.

Chairman Nash's questioning of Citizen Natale is absolutely priceless. Nash's deadpan expressions drip from the .pdf, don't they? Coming fresh on the heels of the College Girls Gone Wild saga on Lynn Drive, the chairman must be scanning the room for candid cameras.

Did Natale's "civil disobedience" seminar come to pass amid yesterday's rain? Or did he keep his powder dry?

A timely reminder about the influence of Jared Diamond.

Guns, Germs and Steel may be Jared Diamond's signature achievement, but for unknown reasons, Collapse affected me more deeply. Both are due for rereading. So much to learn, so little time.

INFLUENCES: JARED DIAMOND, by Charles Marohn (Strong Towns)

... A couple of years before the housing crisis, I came across his book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, which taught me again how to think systematically about places, people and societies. The mental image of the Norse Greenlanders, too stuck in the hierarchy of their culture to consider changes necessary to their survival, refusing to eat seal or fish and perishing from starvation while the Inuit, living in parallel, demonstrated a viable way to survive, was powerful. To think of the Eastern Islanders tearing, down every tree on their island (growth at all costs) until they could not even build a boat to leave when the society -- tens of thousands -- descended into starvation and cannibalism cutting their numbers to a few hundred, is chilling. These case studies are powerful because we're the same people with the same motivations and likely to make the same rationalizations until it is too late.

Meanwhile, in Texas: "Austin Restaurants Stand Ground on Open Carry."

There is this, courtesy of the one-party state.

Indiana lawmakers file bills to make guns easier to buy, carry.

Then there is Texas, and this conversation-starter from Austin. A brief digression is merited.

Roughly at midpoint of Bank Street Brewhouse's original dining concept, a customer entered with a piece prominently displayed, presumably with a permit to do so.

One of the employees called me at home: What to do? Other customers saw the gun, gotten up, and left the building. There was consternation in the room.

I told him that this particular form of narcissism was perfectly legal, and there wasn't much to be done. We'd be compelled to have a management-level discussion, which we subsequently did.

Should we post pictograms of guns with slashes through them? Should words of reinforcement be added, even in a society like ours that refuses to read?

Ultimately, we did nothing. It seemed to be a one-off, and I don't think it happened again, but I remember what one of our employees asked:

If we posted signs prohibiting guns on the premises, and then someone came in with one anyway, exactly how does a server politely ask the open carry to leave?

Good question. Now, to Texas.

Austin Restaurants Stand Ground on Open Carry, by Melanie Haupt (Eater Austin)

On January 1, the law allowing licensed handgun owners to openly carry their firearms in public went into effect. The law, however, allows for private businesses to opt out of this measure, provided there are posted signs with one-inch-high block letters in conspicuous places stating that guns are not allowed on the property.

Some restaurants across the state have embraced the new law, like Amigo's BBQ Grill in Pflugerville. One Houston barbecue trailer, Brooks Place, is even going so far as to offer a 25% discount to diners packing heat.

Here in Austin, a number of restaurants have already chosen to prohibit open carry. Foreign & Domestic is among those restaurants. "There are several reasons why [we chose to opt out]," owner Ned Elliott told Eater, "but first and foremost, a warm, safe, inviting, joyous environment for all does not include sidearms." He added, "We want Foreign & Domestic to be a celebration." As such, any behaviors that infringe on other people’s comfort are off the menu at the North Loop restaurant.