April 2, 2003 Legislative Report

March 18, 2003 - COLORADO GOVERNOR SIGNS LICENSE-TO-CARRY BILL INTO LAW

March 22, 2003 - NEW MEXCIO LEGISLATURE PUTS LICENSE-TO-CARRY BILL ON GOVERNOR'S DESK FOR EXPECTED APPROVAL

March 24, 2003 - OHIO SENATE SET TO DEBATE LICENSE-TO-CARRY BILL PASSED BY STATE HOUSE

BUT WHAT ABOUT MISSOURI???

The Missouri House debated and passed HS HCS HB349 on March 6^th, by a vote of 111 yes to 42 no. This is the earliest vote on this issue in the twelve years we have debated LTC reform in Missouri. This is also a "veto proof" majority.

The Missouri Senate is poised to act on HS HCS HB349. On March 17^th, the Senate second read the bill and assigned it to the "Pensions and General Laws" committee. This is the same Senate committee that heard the senate version of LTC reform, SCS SB83, and sent it to the full senate will a recommendation of "do pass".

The committee will possibly hold a hearing on HS HCS HB349 as early as April 8^th. The committee is expected to send HS HCS HB349 to the full senate for debate with a recommendation of "do pass".

What can YOU do to help assure passage of HS HCS HB349?

Call and email your senator. Politely say "thank you" for supporting passage of HS HCS HB349 [whether they support it or not] the current License-to-Carry reform bill. ALWAYS be polite, even if the senator or his staff are not. Thank them for their time and follow up your call with a handwritten letter restating your support for LTC reform.

Then please call, fax and/or email the following senators on the "Pensions and General Laws" committee and say "thank you" for their support of HS HCS HB349:

Please take time to call the Governor's office and tell his staff that you support License-to-Carry reform. Governor Holden needs to hear from you and that you support passage of LTC reform.

Why?

Governor Holden is apparently taking a position that he is opposed to allowing honest Missourians to defend themselves from criminal attack. Governor Holden's knee-jerk opposition is unfortunate because IF the Governor chooses to actually veto the bill, it is honest Missouri men and women who will pay the penalty. Unless the veto is over-ridden [a possibility] it could be one more year in which a Democratic Governor of this state shouts loudly that he does NOT trust the citizens of this state enough to allow them to defend themselves against the violent criminals that he knows are out there.

It could be one more year in which possibly thirty MORE Missourians will be killed because Governor Holden refuses to simply look at the readily available facts from other states that have LTC on the books. That is nearly three hundred and sixty honest Missourians that might be alive today if we had passed LTC reform way back in 1992 when the legislature first debated it.

Governor Holden's apparent blind opposition to LTC is compounded by the simple fact that all he need do is pick up the phone and call any of the governors, both Democratic and Republican, from states that have had this law for years to discover that this type of law works.

Call the Governor's office and politely tell his staff that you support License-to-Carry reform as defined in HS HCS HB349. Politely tell his staff that you hope that Governor Holden will finally take a look at the other thirty-two states with License-to-Carry and know that it is past time for Missouri to have its own law too.

You can call Governor Holden's office at (573) 751-3222 and fax him at (573) 751-1495.

Let Governor Holden hear from you. As always, be polite with any politicians and their staff... even if they are not polite to you.

Thank them for their time and follow up any phone call with a handwritten letter clearly stating your support for LTC and HS HCS HB349.

Stay tuned and get rested... the "fun" will really begin when the senate starts to debate our current effort to enact License-to-Carry reform for Missouri.