MY POPULAR MECHANICS COLUMN THIS MONTH is on the War Against Photography.

Too many officials think taking photos is a crime. Here’s why they’re wrong. . . . Today, most people walk around with a camera of some sort in their possession. Point-and-shoots, DSLRs and tiny video cams–not to mention cellphones–have become ubiquitous. And yet it seems that in many public locations, security officials are touchier than ever about letting people actually use those cameras. Our guardians of public safety often have the idea that shooting pictures in public places might be a precursor to some sort of terrorism. It’s an understandable concern, but misguided. I believe there is a good case to be made that having lots of cameras in the hands of citizens makes us more, rather than less, safe.

Need I say, read the whole thing?

UPDATE: Reader Lance Christensen emails: “First they came for our guns, but the liberals said nothing, because they don’t have any guns. Then they came for our cameras…”