Proposition B: Concealed Weapons
Proposition B: Concealed WeaponsShould Missourians be allowed to carry concealed weapons? The question has been an on-going concern in the state: such a proposition legalizing concealed weapons (now a felony) has been debated extensively for several years, by both state legislators and private citizens.
On April 6, 1999, voters were asked to decide on Proposition B, a referendum which would allow registered gun owners to carry weapons in and out of public view. For the time being, at least, Missourians decided against the measure. This defeat came as a surprise to many, especially those in rural communities such as Taney County. To others, it was an anticipated outcome of nation-wide efforts toward gun control.
Controversy throughout the state was rampant in the months prior to the April election. Opponents warned that "cop killer" guns, such as Uzi pistols, MAC11s, and TEC9s, could be carried under the new referendum, providing their barrels were less than 16 inches long (Miller "Guns Over a Foot"). Proponents argued that such admonition was merely a scare tactic, arguing that larger guns would be more difficult to conceal and thereby defeat the idea of a concealed weapon.
Other controversy centered around campaign finance. Missourians Against Crime, proponents of Proposition B, garnered over $2.25 million in campaign contributions, the majority of which came from out-of-state backers: The National Rifle Association purportedly invested $2.08 million, while the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms from Bellevue, WA, chipped in an additional $ 42,263 (Miller "Concealed Weapons"). The remainder, according to Amy Pennington of Missourians Against Crime, came from "grassroots supporters across the state."
Safe Schools and Workplaces Committee, opponents of the referendum, reported campaign funds of $ 766,000: Handgun Control, Inc., a Washington, D.C., interest group gave $ 141,504, with other large donations coming from such corporations as Kansas City's Hallmark, Southwestern Bell, and several St. Louis area hospitals (Miller "Concealed Weapons").
Also, fueling the 1999 controversy were bitter feelings over a similar proposal sponsored by Danny Staples, D-Eminence, in 1996. Allegedly, pressure from the NRA to keep the legislation from coming before a vote of the people led to Staples dropping the earlier "conceal and carry" bill. It also led to Staples' disillusionment with the NRA, an organization of which he had been a member, because of that organization's opposition to allowing the public to decide on the issue (Greiling).
Editorials and letters to the editor ricocheted around the state, arguing in favor of and against the referendum. John Lott, Jr., editorialist for St. Louis Post Dispatch, disagreed with the notion that citizens would not be able to control themselves if they were carrying concealed weapons. Citing statistics from other states, Lott argued, "Concerns that permit holders would lose their tempers in the heat of the moment, like traffic accidents, have been unfounded. Only one time has a permit holder used a concealed handgun after a traffic accident, and that use was ruled as justifiable self-defense. Concerns about risks to police officers have also proven unfounded. No permit holder has ever killed a police officer, though there are police who have said that they would not be alive today if it hadn't been for a citizen with a permitted concealed handgun" ("Proposition B").
Opponents, on the other hand, drew attention to recent shootings in schools nationwide to support their claims that America's infatuation with firearms has extended far beyond first amendment rights. They pointed out that it is already legal in Missouri to carry weapons, so long as those weapons are in plain view, and a concealed weapon law only sanctions terrorism.
Though Proposition B was defeated this year, it is unlikely that the issue will dissipate. In fact, lawmakers in support of the referendum have vowed even more adamently to promote this issue in upcoming elections (Brutzman). If so, the conceal and carry law will continue to occupy the minds of citizens as they consider its impact on both the crime rate and the economy in Missouri.
Works Cited
Brutzman, Anna. "Legislators Try to Guess Why Prop B Failed." Missouri Digital News 7 April 1999. <www.mdn.org/1999/STORIES/PROP_B1.HTM> (May 1999)
Images of gangsters from http://www.arttoday.com, member page, June 1999.
Greiling, Angela. "Staples: Missourians Won't Get Concealed Weapons This Year." Missouri Digital News 15 April 1997. <www.mdn.org/1997/STORIES/GUNS.HTM> (May 1999)
Lott, John R., Jr., "Proposition B: More Security or Greater Danger?: Clear Evidence from States with Conceal Carry." St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 21 March 1999. <www2.ari.net/mcsm/propblott.html> (May 1999)
Miller, Melissa. "Concealed Weapons Money." Missouri Digital News 31 March 1999. <www.mdn.org/1999/STORIES/GUNMONEY.HTM> (May 1999)
-----. "Guns Over a Foot Long Could Be Concealed and Carried under Prop. B." Missouri Digital News 1 April 1999. <www.mdn.org/1999/STORIES/HANDGUN.HTM> (May 1999)
