Gov Bob Holden Should Take Off Anti-Gun Blinders, Says CCRKBA

[Drizzt]

U.S. Newswire

March 27, 2003 Thursday

SECTION: State Desk

LENGTH: 412 words

HEADLINE: Gov Bob Holden Should Take Off Anti-Gun Blinders, Says CCRKBA

DATELINE: BELLEVUE, Wash., March 27

BODY:
Missouri Gov. Bob Holden should take off his anti-gun blinders and drop his elitist opposition to concealed carry by law-abiding Missouri residents, the head of a major national gun rights organization said today.

"Gov. Holden could take a lesson from fellow Democrats Mark Warner of Virginia and Bill Richardson in New Mexico," said Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA). "Missouri citizens deserve the same right of self-defense that residents of over 40 other states exercise. Holden seems to be clinging to one of the great Democratic Party failures of the last 40 years, and that is an alarmist attitude toward legally-armed private citizens."

Gottlieb noted that Gov. Warner has signed legislation expanding Virginia's preemption statute, to simplify state gun laws and exempt legally-licensed citizens from a hodgepodge of confusing gun regulations. In New Mexico, Gov. Richardson has promised to sign recently-passed legislation that will legalize concealed carry for qualified state residents, making it the 34th state in the nation with a "shall-issue" law.

"Governors Warner and Richardson have recognized that laws restricting only the rights of law-abiding citizens are worthless in fighting crime," Gottlieb said. "Instead, they understand that legally armed citizens pose a threat to nobody, except perhaps violent thugs. Meanwhile, Gov. Holden stubbornly clings to the anti-self-defense, pro criminal doctrine of his party's far left fringe.

"Sensible concealed carry laws have been working in dozens of states," Gottlieb continued. "Michigan is a perfect example, where extremist opponents of common-sense gun laws made the same tired, hysterical predictions about gunfights in taverns and blood on the streets, none of which have come true. It will not come true in Missouri, either. Gov. Holden needs to tune out the hysterics and tune in to the responsible actions taken by his colleagues in Virginia and New Mexico."

With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is one of the nation's premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.
http://www.usnewswire.com

 

[ahadams]

ol' One Term Bob Holden is in a real fix right now. We're going to get a real CCW bill on his desk sometime in the next month or so and then he's going to have to make one of the toughest political calls of his life.

First off you need to be aware that he campaigned on the statement that he would veto any CCW bill that came across his desk.

Second you need to know that we have a veto-proof majority in the assembly and will probably have about the same in the senate.

Third, you also need to know that a lefty-loonie female political hack from St. Louis has already announced that he's not nearly liberal enough for her constituency and so she's going to be challenging him in the Democratic primary next year.

So he's got problems - he could probably still take the primary *if* he can count on all of the conservative rural Democrats who have, of late been abandoning liberal democratic candidates in droves. However there are only two ways he could do that, either by suddenly adopting a pro-life policy (his own party would eat him alive) or by allowing the CCW to go through (he'll get gripes, but at least in this area the bradyites have largely lost their pull with Democrats outside of the two SUV soccer mom set).

I guess we'll see...

 

[CZ-75]

What's the name of the lefty-looney from St. Louie?

 

[ahadams]

I honest to goodness don't remember CZ-75... I'm afraid all muddleheaded socialist females look alike to me... if it's important email me and I'll ask some folks who will remember..

 

[CZ-75]

Just curious. I thought Harriet Woods was out of politics there, perhaps even dead.

She's the biggest looney from there I know other than Claire "What's GMAC?" McCaskill and Karen McCarthy, both from the west side of the state.

 

[Bruce H]

I hope he does veto the bill. I want to see it go to an override vote. We need to see exactly where our estemed senators stand when facing pressure. I think an override will be possible but we don't know.

 

[StLGlocker]

I'm excited that we might actually get CCW passed and on the governor's desk.

I expect Holden to veto, and I expect him to lose next year because of it. Whether or not our representatives will stick to their guns (pun intended) after he says no remains to be seen. We've got a veto override margin, but not what I'd call a comfortable one. Still, any margin is better than none.

 

[ahadams]

I do NOT want him to veto it, if it can be avoided. While it looks like we have the potential for a veto override, that veto override attempt will also bring the brady bunch and all the liberal democratic party hacks from both coasts down on us in droves, and quite frankly I'd just as soon not deal with all of that . Everyone I've talked to who has been through a veto override says it's the hardest vote you'll ever pull - and that's coming from professionals who work really antigun states. I gave up my carry permit in VA by moving here 3.5 years ago, and that's too long to be without a carry permit. We need Right to Carry and we need it Now.

 

[Bruce H]

And on the other side of the coin we need to know if our elected ones will do what they promise or cave to outside pressure. Outside influences from both left coasts is immaterial to an internal debate.

 

[srschick]

Is there any provision in the proposed MO CCW about out of state licensure, like Florida and a few other states?
I live in the Peoples Republik of Illannoy, but work and spend alot of time in MO (St.louis).
Is there and "opt-out" for municipalities?

 

[zastros]

SB 083

There's nothing in the bill that says any cities can opt out. There's also nothing in the bill about out of state permits.
They do say no carry in: courts, govt. meetings, arenas, airports, amusement parks, churches*, bars*, schools*, daycare*, or anywhere that the business posts a sign.




*unless you have permission

 

[bogie]

Guys, remember that SOMETHING is better than NOTHING. If you insist that the bill be the greatest thing since cold beer, and won't compromise for anything less, you're not going to get ANYTHING. Let's get the camel's nose under the tent first, and worry about the rest of him later...

 

[zastros]

I agree. Please don't get me wrong. Would I have preferred "Vermont Carry"? You betcha. But the way we've been plooked over and over on this issue, I'll take about anything I can get. [Barring, of course, cities being able to opt out. That's a deal breaker as far as I'm concerned.]

 

[Gray Peterson]

It has a full recognition statute. Any out of state license is valid in MO. If you're in IL, then a permit from, say, Maine, or Florida, or Utah, will work.