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There’s been a lot of talk on the right lately about law and order, an unsubtle phrase meant to express unwavering support for law enforcement against those protesting police abuse. The line is a mantra for people who shout over Black Lives Matter activists about blue lives mattering (as if the two are necessarily oppositional) and who oppose sensible firearms legislation, supposedly on behalf of “good guys with guns.” Police in multiple states have voiced criticism of open carry laws, which many say make their jobs more difficult, stressful and dangerous. Instead of listening to these police criticisms, those who continue to demand unfettered gun rights—nearly the whole of the GOP and its base—imperil the same police lives they claim to want to protect. “You can’t be the party of law and order and not listen to your police chiefs,” Art Acevedo, police chief of Austin, Texas, admonished his state’s Republican lawmakers recently.

Forty-five states permit open carry of guns. Among them are Texas and Louisiana, where recent cop shooting deaths have called […]