Greetings from Merry Ol' England.
Time is running out for Governor Holden to veto HB349. Will he veto the bill or won't he?
It is possible that even at this late date, he could still veto HB349. The odds are that he will veto it.
However, there also is a CHANCE that he will NOT veto the bill. Why?
Because you have been calling and writing and letting him, his staff and his advisors know that you want
HB349 to become Missouri law.
It is CRUNCH time! Time to redouble our efforts!!!
We know Governor Holden has been told by his advisors that he "must" veto HB349 in order to win the PRIMARY
next year. The THEORY is that by vetoing HB349 [and a couple other bills] he will "solidify" his "base"
support and defeat his expected challenger for the Democratic candidate for governor, Claire McCaskill.
We know that your calls have been having an impact. So much so that we have heard that some of his advisors
are now not comfortable that a veto of HB349 would help his candidacy.
After all, besides your phone calls, there IS other evidence that a veto of HB349 could hurt Governor
Holden and the Democratic Party in general.
Since the vote on Prop B in 1999, Missouri has conducted two state-wide general elections. In each of
these elections, supporters of LTC did better than opponents of LTC for most districts. This even
includes candidates from some districts that voted against Prop B. The results of these elections are
that MORE supporters of LTC are in the legislature in both the House and Senate.
Recently, members of the AFL-CIO began declaring support for passage of HB349.
Liberal columnist Bill McClellan is not so sure passing HB349 would hurt.
Opponents are now willing to "settle" for "may issue" LTC.
Nationally, the Democratic Party is toning down their anti-gun rhetoric because it has been proven to hurt
their candidates.
Again, Governor Holden's opposition to LTC is based more on getting re-elected and those who advise him to
veto HB3439 may actually hurt his chances more than help them. But this issue is about more than politics.
Governor Holden should support passage of HB349 because it was well crafted with bi-partisan support;
it addressed many of the honest concerns of Missourians who were uncomfortable with Prop B; and,
if it becomes law, it will be one of the most restrictive, yet fair, laws passed in the nation.
Bottom line: Governor Holden should allow HB349 to become law because allowing honest Missourians to
exercise a process where they can [if qualified] receive permission to defend their lives is the RIGHT
thing to do.
What you need to do today:
1. If you have not called, written, faxed or emailed Governor Holden… DO SO TODAY! If you have already
called, written, faxed and/or emailed Governor Holden before… DO IT AGAIN! Tell him and his staff that you
support HB349 and want to see it become Missouri law. Politely ask the Governor to take no action on the
bill or to SIGN it into law. Remind them that just this year; Minnesota, Colorado and New Mexico all
passed LTC laws making a total of thirty-four states with LTC laws. Inform them that the Governor of Ohio
just recently reversed his opposition to LTC and has pledged to sign a bill if it makes it to his desk.
[Ed.: The Ohio CCW was
"holstered" due to opposition of the State Patrol. The
Patrol says it doesn't want loaded guns in vehicles. Huh? Can
they discern whether the loaded gun is in the hands of a law-abiding
citizen or of a criminal? Strange folks in Ohio.] Tell Governor Holden and his staff that honest
Missourians deserve his trust and deserve this bill to be made law. Do NOT argue with his staff. Politely
state your position. Thank them for their time. ALWAYS be polite especially if they are not.
You can contact the Governor at the following:
Governor Bob Holden
Missouri Capitol Building, Room 216
PO Box 720
Jefferson City, Missouri 65102
Missouri Phone Numbers
Telephone: (573) 751-3222
Fax: (573) 751-1495
Email: mogov@mail.state.mo.us
2. Contact all your friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc… who SUPPORT License to Carry and make sure that
they have called, written, faxed and emailed Governor Holden as well. They need to tell the Governor the
same information: allow HB349 to become law or SIGN HB349 into law. Follow up and make sure they did
contact him.
3. Prepare for veto override IF necessary. Contact the representatives who voted for HB349 [see our website
at www.gclastl.org] and THANK THEM for voting for HB349 during the session. Do that TODAY! Ask them to
stay the course IF an override becomes a necessity. Remind them that if the Governor does not allow HB349
to become law that the Governor is WRONG on the issue and that honest Missourians deserve passage of this
bill.
4. Be ready to have to prepare for next year. Nothing in politics is guaranteed. So be prepared that IF a
veto does occur and IF we are unsuccessful in getting sufficient votes to override a veto, we need to be
certain of one thing: WE WILL NOT STOP UNTIL MISSOURI GETS A GOOD LTC LAW. WE WILL BE BACK. If not this
year… we will try again next year. If not next year… we will do all that we can to help those who support
License to Carry.
As always… stay tuned for further developments.
Greg Jeffery
Legislative Director
Gateway Civil Liberties Alliance www.gclastl.org
Legislative Coordinator
Missourians for Personal Safety www.moccw.org
Part-time Designated Spokesman
Western Missouri Shooters Alliance www.wmsa.net
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