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Chamber of Commerce demonstrates its ignorance

Two years ago, Missouri voters said "no" to a measure legalizing the carrying of concealed weapons. Unfortunately, the issue has reared its ugly head again, thanks to a bill approved last month by the Missouri House of Representatives Committee on Sportsmanship, Safety and Firearms.

The committee voted to send the measure to the House floor, eliminating a provision that would have limited concealed weapons to those who could demonstrate a need to have them. At this point, the legislation has strong support from a large number of legislators.

The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, the area's largest business organization, has long opposed such legalization, and is working in Jefferson City -- once again -- in opposition to this latest effort by the gun lobby.

Why should business care? As we stated two years ago, "The proliferation of guns in a society prone to violence has alarmed citizens throughout the metro area. No place of business and no neighborhood is immune to the danger of guns."

If this measure passes, employees and customers legally could carry concealed weapons into any office, hospital, factory or place of business in the state.

The presence of concealed guns in the workplace means a significant increase in legal liability risks for businesses. Generally, business owners have an obligation to protect employees and customers from foreseeable acts of violence on company premises. The measure now under consideration does nothing to protect business owners from liability for injuries caused by concealed weapons carried onto their premises.

If an employee carrying a concealed weapon shoots an employee or customer, the victim could claim the business owner was negligent in hiring, supervising and retaining the employee or for failing to maintain a safe workplace. In addition, employers could risk OSHA sanctions for maintaining a dangerous workplace. Even if a company attempts to prohibit concealed weapons by posting signs prohibiting them, that company would not be exempt from liability.

The threat of gun violence in the workplace is very real. There are thousands of incidents in which disgruntled employees have shot supervisors and co-workers. Domestic quarrels have spilled over into the workplace. Between 1985 and 1999, the number of supervisors killed by subordinates more than doubled. Allowing concealed handguns in the workplace would do nothing but increase the risk of such incidents.

The states of Florida and Texas are often used to illustrate the "effectiveness" of concealed-carry laws. Yet an in-depth analysis of how Florida's concealed-weapons law actually functions concludes that "Florida's concealed-weapons law puts guns into the hands of criminals." Between October 1987 and July 1995, 469 individuals were identified as having committed crimes, including assault and kidnapping, either before or after getting a concealed-carry license (Violence Policy Center study, November 1995).

And in Texas, from January 1996 to October 1997, Texas concealed-handgun license holders were arrested for 946 crimes, of which 263 were felony arrests, including six charges of murder or attempted murder. In the first six months of 1997, the weapon-related arrest rate among Texas concealed-handgun license holders was more than twice as high as that of the general population of Texans age 21 or older (Violence Policy Center Study, January 1998).

Two years ago, we polled chamber members on this issue. The majority said they opposed the legalization of concealed weapons; 9 percent said they favored such a move.

For the record, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, representing 2,400 member companies employing 300,000 people, opposes the legalization of concealed weapons in Missouri (and in Kansas, by the way).

It's just too risky -- for our businesses and for our citizens.

G. Richard Hastings is chairman of the board of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.

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Mr. Hastings appears to have read only gun control organization material.  He does not address available empirical data demonstrating the value of concealed carry in other states.

Of course, that is the sort of attitude prevalent at St. Luke's.  "We are better than and know more than any other hospital in town."

Why should the public care? As I have stated elsewhere, "The proliferation of demagogues in a society prone to ignorance has alarmed patriotic law-abiding citizens throughout the metro area.  No place of business and no neighborhood is immune to the danger of dissembling and deception."

Mr. Hastings, consider this:  Criminals will get guns regardless of the law.  Law-abiding citizens will carry guns only if the law permits.  That small percentage of "criminals" who may also have a permit to carry concealed would certainly be carrying in any case.

Mr. Hastings is citing a misleading study.  Statistically, concealed handgun licensees are more law-abiding than the average Texan.  The true facts concerning Texas.

And a more comprehensive editorial by NCPA reveals the erroneous thinking in Mr. Hastings editorial.

John Lott Op-Ed in CBS News site, "Guns save lives."