THE SIGNING

K. L. Jamison

The Missouri Supreme Court found that the only flaw in the License To Carry law was the use of the $100 fee. When the law was written we thought that we were giving the sheriffs an income windfall. The opposition successfully filed suit to prevent this income source. Sheriffs evaded this back-door attack on License To Carry by voluntarily issuing licenses for little or no money. St. Louis County and St. Louis City were the last holdouts refusing to issue licenses. The prohibitionists only succeeded in delaying implementation of the law, and robbing Missouri sheriffs of the fees.

The prohibitionists created the problem, and we solved it. The NRA shepherded a funding fix through the legislature without a single objectionable amendment. On 12 July, 2005 Governor Matt Blunt signed the funding fix into law.

Not only does the new law fix the financing question, it states that the intent of the original law was to allow sheriffs to use the fee for any purpose reasonably related to implementation of the law.

One of the lawyers who created the problem with the constitutional challenge claimed that the law only legitimized new licenses, and that the 16,000 or more existing licenses were unconstitutional. This is another absurd claim by the prohibitionists. The Supreme Court only questioned the funding for the licenses. The prohibitionists argued in their constitutional challenge that licenses were unconstitutional and disasters waiting to happen. The Court rejected these claims. Even if challenged, the court would have to consider the intent of the law expressed in the funding fix.

Some of our people have been angry that the Governor waited so long to sign the fix. I have questioned the delay as well. However after attending the signing ceremony the delay made more sense. When a bill is signed, the Governor is not simply handed a copy and a pen. An elaborate ceremony is arranged. People interested in the bill are invited to attend and the bill is signed along with other bills designed to add or distract attention to the bill. This requires an elaborate scheduling plan.

Joel Partridge, the NRA legislative liaison, invited me Governor to stand with Representative Brian Munzlinger, the bills’ sponsor, as the signed the law. I represented Missourians for Personal Safety; Gary Davis stood in for WMSA President Derek Ward who was tied up at work. We stood behind the Governor as he signed the bill, praised the legislation, and answered questions from the press. The Governor handed us signed copies of the bill, and it was a good day for Liberty.