Now here’s a scary fact we didn’t know before we wrote that big story calling on Gov. Jim Gibbons to quit because, well, he blows as governor: He’s strapped!

That’s what the young people (and rappers!) say about someone who carries concealed weapons. And according to a great story by my colleague Anjeanette Damon in the Reno Gazette-Journal, Gibbons has nine handguns on his concealed weapons permit.

And we thought we had a lot of pistols. We’re pistol pikers compared to the state’s commander in chief.

Funny thing, however: According to the story linked above, Gibbons only qualified with seven of those nine handguns. (Qualifying is what they call it when you take a handgun safety/law course and then plug some paper targets at varying distances to show you know basically what you’re doing. In order to carry a concealed weapon in Nevada, you must qualify with every handgun you intend to carry at an approved range, have a firearms instructor certify that you’re proficient, and then carry only those weapons with which you’ve qualified and that are listed on your permit.)

Apparently, the governor didn’t bring the entire arsenal down to the range — he qualified with just seven of the nine weapons he wanted on his permit. His instructor, however, certified that he’d qualified with all of them. That’s what they call in the business a “no-no.” (Gibbons, for his part, promised he’d return to actually qualify with the remaining two weapons, but then “got busy” and forgot. Must be all that budget cutting.)

Anyway, he finally did qualify with his remaining two weapons, and now is licensed to carry all nine. The Gazette-Journal story identifies them as “9mm and Glock handguns,” although that’s somewhat confusing because Glocks come in 9mm, too. He’s even proficient in derringers, which are really lame. But that’s just our opinion. Stick with the Glocks, governor! They’re great.

Anyway, our fears about being plugged by Gibbons after he reads our story were put to rest by his press secretary, Ben Kieckhefer, who said this to the Gazette-Journal: “He doesn’t carry. He likes to hunt. He likes to shoot shotguns recreationally. He likes to exercise his rights afforded under the Second Amendment.”

Well, geez, what’s the point of getting a concealed weapons permit if you don’t carry? Sure, the governor has state-provided Nevada Highway Patrol troopers to provide security for him. But you can never be too careful.

Now, as far as we’re concerned, you shouldn’t even have to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon, since the Second Amendment guarantees our right to keep and bear arms. This is that odd issue where we’re to the right of Gibbons. (In fact, we recall once having a conversation in which we were surprised to learn that the governor — a former pilot and a gun enthusiast — was against armed pilots on commercial flights as a counter-hijacking measure. Gibbons said he worried that bored pilots would start playing around with their guns mid-flight, and cause an accident. Who knows, maybe he was right.)

But until Gibbons starts campaigning for all of us to be able to carry weapons, permit-free, as per the Second Amendment, we think he at least ought to follow the rules. He is charged with executing the laws of the state, after all.

And just in case, since we’ve been so critical of the governor, we’re going to start looking into some body armor. Maybe something from Second Chance, which sells to law-enforcement. We once saw Richard Davis, founder of Second Chance, shoot himself in the chest with a .40-caliber Glock while wearing one of his vests and walk away without a scratch. Now that’s standing behind your product!