Subject: Unarmed man beaten to death at Waffle House

Early last Sunday morning, a young Kansas City man was brutally murdered by two violent predators at a local diner. From the 4/9/01 account in The Star, Edward A. Chacon, 29, was a husband, father of two, productive, law abiding, gainfully employed, and unarmed citizen. The State of Missouri requires Mr. Chacon and all other ordinary citizens to be unarmed and defenseless in public under penalty of law, yet the state does not and cannot protect us. The opponents of Prop B in 1999 and two bills currently moving in the State Assembly should explain to Mr. Chacon's family, friends, and employer exactly how his senseless, defenseless murder somehow makes the rest of us safer.

Beginning with Florida in 1987, 24 states have enacted "shall issue" concealed carry laws. In each of those states, as in Missouri, opponents waged a fear-based campaign, claiming crime would increase if people carried guns. The news media forecast vigilante justice and "Wild West" shootouts on every corner. And in each of those states, not only did the predictions prove utterly false, but crime decreased significantly.

On April 3, Gov. Johnson signed legislation making New Mexico the 33rd state to have a law respecting the right of people to carry firearms for protection against criminals -- the 30th to adopt a "shall issue" firearm-carry permit system. In January, Gov. John Engler signed "right to carry" into law in Michigan. Today, 54% percent of Americans, including 64% of handgun owners, live in "right to carry" states. Are a majority of Americans deluded on the subject of armed self-defense, or do they know something Missourians ought to consider?

Missouri touts itself as the "Show Me State." Well...