Rep. Gingrey Says People "Should" Bring Guns To Town Hall Meetings

Yesterday, a man showed up outside of President Obama's speech to veterans carrying an assault rifle.

He wasn't breaking the law, but reasonable people should be able to agree that such behavior is beyond the pale. Right?

Apparently not.

Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) went on MSNBC's Hardball last night and repeatedly defended the guy. When host Chris Matthews asked whether Gingrey would discourage people from coming to public meetings armed, the congressman replied, "No, I would not." He added, "I would think that they should exercise their rights under the Second Amendment."

Note the word "should."

Defending gun rights is one thing, but this is something different altogether. There are, obviously, plenty of things that are legal but still shouldn't be encouraged.