Proposition B in Missouri was a failed 1999 ballot measure that would have required local police authorities to issue concealed weapons permits to eligible citizens. It was a contentious issue and was narrowly rejected at the time by the electorate, but the legislature later approved similar legislation in 2003.[citation needed]
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Supporters
editSupport for concealed carry laws in Missouri grew gradually throughout the 1990s. In 1991, a group to promote such laws called "the conference" was formed and that nickname was used until the Missouri Legislative Issues Council (MOLIC) was formed in 1995 for official recognition. Support for these laws increased in part as a response to the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act and other national gun control efforts.
After author/columnist John Ross made his attempts to convince Missouri legislators, other supporters also emerged. The NRA formed Missourians Against Crime (MAC) in 1998 as their spokesman into Missouri. This created an issue with the MOLIC membership. Negative campaigns seldom succeed in Missouri. The MOLIC organization was transformed into Missourians for Personal Safety(MPS) for the 1998 Proposition B campaign with Steve McGhee as the President. These combined efforts brought notoriety to Greg Jeffery, attorney/author Kevin Jamison, and Tim Oliver, to the forefront of their local/regional news media. As the Missouri Sport Shooting Association (MSSA), joined (unofficially) in support, they all proceeded with their regional campaigning attempts. Eventually, more and more individuals heard of these volunteers/members and took up the task to support the proposition with smaller meetings and neighborhood 'grass roots' action groups.
Police Officers generally supported the measure: "In a recent poll, more than eighty-five percent of our 1352 members favored Right-to-Carry.", Letter to St. Louis Police Chief Ron Henderson, from Sgt. John J. Johnson, President St. Louis Police Officers Association, 1/23/99."[1]
The Gateway Civil Liberties Alliance (GCLA) arose after the failure to pass the proposition in 1999; forming itself from MOLIC, MPS, and with WMSA giving support, to become the leadership and legislative clearing house for the 2003 success in passing a shall-issue law. Frequent trips to Jefferson City by Greg Jeffery (GCLA cofounder) earned him the nickname 'braintrust' to a newly created law that was adopted by Missouri in 2003.[2]
Opponents
editHandgun Control, Inc., saw this as their test case before the elections in 2000 to exercise their political influence[3] and lobbied hard to defeat the referendum.[4] Political notables included the Clinton/Gore Administration[5] with Attorney General Janet Reno playing a secondary role to Hillary Clinton's activism, Governor Mel Carnahan and his daughter Robin Carnahan, the 1994 appointed[6] Secretary of State, Rebecca Cook,[7] and State Auditor, Claire McCaskill.
Robin Carnahan chaired the Safe Schools and Workplaces Committee (SSWC) and orchestrated television ads against the proposition. Also, on the weekend prior to voting day, that organization coordinated the taped phone message from Hillary Clinton to automatically dial 75,000 homes statewide with the message, "just too dangerous for Missouri families."[8]
Ballot language
editThe General Assembly approved the following ballot language:
Shall state or local law enforcement agencies be authorized to issue permits to law-abiding citizens at least twenty-one years of age to carry concealed firearms outside their home for personal protection after having passed a state and federal criminal background check and having completed a firearms safety training course approved by the Missouri Department of Public Safety?
After a lawsuit filed by the opponents of the measure, the language was changed. The final text read:
"Shall sheriffs, or in the case of St. Louis County, the chief of police, be required to issue permits to carry concealed firearms to citizens who apply if various statutory requirements are satisfied?" Because of the discretion given to local law enforcement to verify the accuracy of applications, the costs are uncertain. Application fees are estimated to cover most costs for the first three years. Subsequently, local governments, as a whole, may incur costs from $500,000 to $1,000,000 annually, not covered by fees.
Missouri Sport Shooting Association President Kevin Jamison described it as, "The opposition conducted a poll of the ballot language which determined that 60% of the state would vote in favor of License to Carry. Outraged that the people might "speak wrong", the Governor's lawyer filed a suit with the Missouri Supreme Court to change the ballot language. The defendants in the suit were Attorney General Jay Nixon and State Auditor Claire McCaskill."[9]
Campaign controversies
editThe use of official government resources by opponents of the measure was controversial.
Missouri's two US Attorneys are using the Justice Department's name and facilities to lobby against the state's concealed weapons ballot issue. Using official department letterhead, the attorneys, Edward Dowd and Stephen Hill, urged sheriffs and police chiefs across the state to rally resistance against Proposition B, which is on the ballot this April. Dowd's office is operating an 800 number which people can call to obtain anti-prop B campaigning materials. Calls to the 800 number, 1-800-214-2690, are answered with "US Attorneys Office."[10]
Some advertisements used in the campaign were deceptive, particularly an opposition ad[11] that implied Missourians would be allowed to carry Uzis[12] that continued into 2000.[13]
Results
editProposition B gained 634,361 votes in favor (48.3%) and 678,256 votes against (51.7%), thus being defeated by a margin of 3.3%.[14]
The majority of voters in rural Missouri voted in favor of Proposition B. However, urban voters, particularly in St. Louis and Kansas City, tipped the balance against Proposition B. 74.1% of the voters in the city of St. Louis, 69.5% in St. Louis County, and 71.6% in Kansas City opposed Proposition B.[14]
In 2003, the Missouri General Assembly passed new laws to enable shall-issue permits.[2]
Participant roles during 1999
editThe following persons played important roles in the creation of law in the State of Missouri. This is not their biography but an outline of the positions held during the 1999 Proposition B campaigns.
John Ross
editPro-2nd Amendment activist.
John Ross Author/Columnist[15]
Concealed Firearms Instructor
1998 Chairman/Co-founder; Missouri Legislative Issues Council (MOLIC).
Co-founder; Missourians for Personal Safety (MPS)[16]
Supporter, Missouri Sport Shooting Association (MSSA)[17]
Kevin Jamison
editPro-2nd Amendment activist.
Attorney/Author[18]
Co-founder; Missouri Legislative Issues Council (MOLIC)
Co-founder; Missourians for Personal Safety (MPS)[16]
2006 President, Missouri Sport Shooting Association (MSSA)[17]
Tim Oliver
editPro-2nd Amendment activist.
Conceal Carry Firearms Instructor[19]
Co-founder; Missouri Legislative Issues Council (MOLIC)
Co-founder; Missourians for Personal Safety (MPS)[16]
Supporter; Missouri Sport Shooting Association (MSSA)[17]
Greg Jeffery
editPro-2nd Amendment activist.
Co-founder; Missouri Legislative Issues Council (MOLIC)
Co-founder; Missourians for Personal Safety (MPS)[16]
Supporter, Missouri Sport Shooting Association (MSSA)[17]
Co-founder The Gateway Civil Liberties Alliance (GCLA)[20]
Legislative Consultant to Missouri Lawmakers.
Steve McGhee
editPro-2nd Amendment activist.
NRA Master Training Counselor/Instructor[21]
1998 President, Missouri Sport Shooting Association (MSSA)[17]
1999 President/Co-founder; Missourians for Personal Safety (MPS)[16]
Campaign Funding
edit| Pro-2nd Amendment | |
| NRA | +$3 Million |
| Pro-Gun Control | |
| Out of State | $399,079 |
| In State | $164,000 |
Carnahan Participation
editPro-Gun Control activist.[23] Governor Mel Carnahan pledged neutrality.
Robin Carnahan chaired the Safe Schools and Workplaces Committee (SSWC)
1999 Federal Participation
editPro-Gun Control activist.
US Attorneys: (established 1-800-214-2690)[10][24]
- Edward Dowd (Eastern Missouri)
- Stephen Hill (Western Missouri)
1999 White House Participation
editPro-Gun Control & Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act activist.
- President Clinton signed Federal assault weapons ban in 1993 which expired in 2004.
- Hillary Clinton gave a taped voice message to condemn Prop B.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Right To Carry: The Law Enforcement Perspective". MPS/MOCCW. Retrieved September 10, 2006.
- ^ a b Jamison, Kevin (September 17, 2003). "License to carry update". Western Missouri Shooters Alliance. Archived from the original on November 9, 2005. Retrieved September 10, 2006.
- ^ 1983 The Center to Prevent Handgun Violence (CPHV), an educational outreach organization dedicated to reducing gun violence, is founded as a sister organization to HCI. (source: HCI)
- ^ a b "Anti Self-Defense Businesses in Missouri". MPS/MOCCW. Retrieved September 22, 2006.
- ^ "Clinton's Administration is easily the most reckless in interfering with the integrity of Federal investigative agencies since that of Richard Nixon." -- NY Times editorial, "White House Ethics Meltdown", 3/4/94
- ^ "Facts on women candidates and elected officials". Center for American Women and Politics. Archived from the original on September 7, 2006. Retrieved September 10, 2006.
- ^ There was debate to which office held more influence between Secretary of State and/or the State Auditor. Most political watchers agreed that the Secretary of State had the authority to change the ballot language used (without review) in 1999.
- ^ "NRAFAX Alert - Carnahan defeats Prop. B". MPS/MOCCW. Retrieved September 10, 2006.
- ^ THE MISSOURI MIRACLE by K. L. Jamison
- ^ a b Bellamy, Clayton (March 23, 1999). "US Attorneys use federal facilities to lobby against prop B". Missouri Digital News. Retrieved September 13, 2006.
- ^ Miller, Melissa (April 1, 1999). "Guns over a foot long could be concealed and carried under Prop. B". Missouri Digital News. Retrieved September 22, 2006.
- ^ "MPS/MOCCW Top 5 Misleading Statements". MPS/MOCCW. Retrieved September 14, 2006.
- ^ May 4, 2000: HCI releases a new television ad featuring video footage of a senior NRA official boasting that, if George W. Bush is elected President, the NRA will be working out of the White House. (source: HCI)
- ^ a b "Table of County Vote Totals". MPS/MOCCW. Retrieved September 13, 2006.
- ^ About John Ross Archived 2012-07-18 at archive.today
- ^ a b c d e MOCCW – Concealed Carry in Missouri
- ^ a b c d e Missouri Sport Shooting Association for the State of Missouri
- ^ Kevin L. Jamison, Attorney At Law | Welcome
- ^ Tim Oliver's LTC - News & Information
- ^ New and Improved! Welcome to G.C.L.A
- ^ McGhee Training Services of Missouri Archived 2006-12-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Brutzman, Anna (April 7, 1999). "Legislators try to guess why Prop B failed". Missouri Digital News. Retrieved September 22, 2006.
- ^ NRAFAX Alert - Carnahan defeats Prop. B. MPS/MOCCW. Retrieved on 2006-09-18.
- ^ "THE NUMBER YOU HAVE DIALED IS NOT IN SERVICE ..." MPS/MOCCW. March 29, 1999. Retrieved September 23, 2006.
External links
edit- Coalition to Stop Gun Violence at the Library of Congress Web Archives (archived 2004-10-13) about 1999 Results
- Missouri D+ status with HCI at the Wayback Machine (archived 2006-06-28)
- 1999 Proposition B
- MISSOURI CCW REFERENDUM
- A Statistician Explains a Conundrum at the Wayback Machine (archived 2006-05-13)
- The End of a Personal Twelve-Year Odyssey at the Wayback Machine (archived 2006-08-16)
- Missouri makes history again at archive.today (archived 2003-06-21) Dead man elected
- 2003 Missouri Law at the Wayback Machine (archived 2006-08-21)
- CCW FAQ to HCI at the Wayback Machine (archived 2006-09-13)
- Q&A Missouri information
- Brady Campaign History at the Wayback Machine (archived 2006-09-13) aka HCI History
- Shall issue
- Voter Fraud
- How to steal an election
- Missouri becomes 36th information at the Wayback Machine (archived 2007-09-28)
- Handgun Law information