OKAY, THIS HEADLINE SEEMS STRAIGHTFORWARD: End of local concealed-gun bans worries officials across South Florida.

But when you read the story, what the local “officials” are actually worried about is that they’ll be punished for breaking the law now:

Effective Saturday , many of South Florida’s “No guns allowed” signs are gone. That’s thanks to a new state law imposing fines of up to $5,000 on county and municipal officials, and even threatening them with removal from office, if they enforce firearms and ammunition restrictions other than those spelled out by state statute.

The state legislation has been on the books since 1987. But because it did not contain any penalties until now, many local governments passed their own, more restrictive laws.

So they happily broke the law to deprive people of their legal rights and now that they might be punished for doing so, they’re troubled? Personally, I’m gratified. And if being punished for violating the law is troubling “intimidation,” then what have you folks been doing — illegally, I stress — since 1987?