It’s not often that anyone says this, but kudos to Gov. Jan Brewer this week. On Monday, Brewer vetoed two controversial (also known as crazy) pieces of legislation that were championed by the right. Her vetoes demonstrate that even Brewer deserves credit where credit is due.

The first piece of legislation she vetoed, the “”birther bill,”” demanded that any presidential candidate provide a long-form birth certificate before being placed on the Arizona ballot. The bill would have also accepted baptismal or circumcision records, suggesting Uncle Sam wants to see your birth certificate or your penis.

In her letter explaining her veto, Brewer wrote that “”I never imagined being presented with a bill that could require candidates for President of the greatest and most powerful nation on earth to submit their ‘early baptismal or circumcision certificates’ among other records to the Arizona Secretary of State.””

Similar legislation has failed in three states — Connecticut, Maine and Montana — which is no surprise, given that even Brewer was able to recognize that “”this is a bridge too far.””

“”This measure creates significant new problems while failing to do anything constructive for Arizona,”” Brewer added. Thanks for finally stating the obvious, Governor.

It’s the second veto that comes as a welcome relief. State Sen. Ron Gould, the bill’s sponsor, told the Arizona Republic that Brewer’s explanation for vetoing the campus gun bill was a “”very rude veto letter.”” Well, sometimes you have to hurt the feelings of a few state legislators to meet the needs of your constituents.  

Brewer, a known advocate of gun rights, has signed legislation in the past that permits firearms in bars and restaurants. So it wouldn’t have been at all unexpected if she’d allowed firearms on higher education campuses without blinking an eye.

Thankfully, she did blink.

The campus gun bill would have allowed people to carry weapons, open or concealed, in “”public rights-of-way.”” Originally, it would have allowed weapons inside campus buildings, but was scaled back after everyone pointed out how nutty the whole notion was.

In her veto letter, Brewer questioned how vague the wording of the bill was. The bill “”inexplicably”” fails to define a “”public right-of-way”” and that none of the four differing definitions found in Arizona statutes apply, she wrote. Brewer also pointed out that “”the bill is widely advertised as applying to only universities and community colleges. However, the bill clearly applies to an ‘educational institution,’ which includes our K-12 schools.””

Brewer wrote that legislation “”must be both unambiguous and clear to protect the Second Amendment rights of lawful gun owners. Senate Bill 1467 is neither.””

It’s all too easy to criticize Arizona’s government, but it’s equally important to take the opportunity to applaud our lawmakers when they make the right decisions.

— Editorials are determined by the Daily Wildcat editorial board and written by one of its members. They are Kristina Bui, Ken Contrata, Michelle A. Monroe and Heather Price-Wright. They can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.