What's next — Uzi mounted on car hood?

On Capitol Hill, Sen. Mark Madsen is sponsoring a bill that would allow citizens to carry loaded guns in their cars.

The thinking — and I use that term loosely here — is that it would save drivers the inconvenience of having to pull over and load their pistols (and think about what they are doing) before they blast away. Madsen, a Republican from Lehi, said it will allow drivers to defend themselves "where danger may present itself."

Next stop: A hood-mounted Uzi.

Without even considering all the issues that will be raised by this bill and by the nasty letters I will soon be receiving — the right to bear arms, the potential harm for children riding in the car, the best type of gun (the Glock .40-caliber — is it right for you?), blah, blah, blah — this just feels like a bad idea, doesn't it?

Somebody shot Common Sense between the eyes. There are some things that don't mix with driving an automobile. Drugs is one of them. So is alcohol. A loaded gun would be high on the list, too.

Let's face it, there isn't much that tries people's anger as much as driving a car. Some people set their thermostat on simmer the minute they get behind the wheel. Anyone who cuts in front of them, passes them, rides their bumper — it's grounds for curses and the one-finger salute.

There probably isn't a man, woman or child who hasn't had an angry run-in with another motorist. People do and say stupid things on the road all the time. Every morning the freeway is a convention for thousands of people with the temperament of the Soup Nazi.

The last thing you want to put in their hands is a loaded pistol.

It's one thing to return to your house and regret yelling at the guy in the next lane; it's another to regret pulling the trigger.

See if you can follow Madsen's logic here: A man's home is his castle; therefore, he can have a loaded gun in his house. By extension, a car is a man's castle on wheels; therefore, he can carry a loaded gun in his car.

Hold everything. In a house there aren't people cutting you off, giving you obscene salutes, or tying you up in traffic as you make your way to the bathroom (unless you have teenage daughters).

Gary Sackett, an attorney and board member of the Gun Violence Prevention Center of Utah, told the Deseret Morning News, "It's one thing to protect a man's or a woman's castle. It's quite another to have a rolling arsenal on the freeways where tempers flare and sometimes better judgment does not prevail."