FIREARMS ASSOCIATION TAKES AIM AT HOWARD

The National Rifle Association is taking aim at Sen. Jerry Howard, accusing the Dexter Democrat of "helping to stonewall" a bill that would allow citizens meeting certain requirements to carry concealed weapons.

Howard insists he still supports the bill and that the NRA is wrong in its accusations.

On Tuesday night, during a meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Howard offered the concealed weapons proposal as an amendment to a bill but it was defeated on a 6-3 vote.

A one-page letter sent from Washington, D.C., and signed by James T. Hayes, the Missouri state liaison for the NRA, said, "With drug and gang violence spiralling out of control - and anti-gun politicians unwilling to wage a real war on crime - you must be allowed to defend your family, your property, and yourself.

"Call Sen. Howard and ask him why he wants to deny you this basic civil right. Ask him why he fears honest citizens, who have been subjected to a rigorous background check, carrying a firearm safely and responsibly. Ask Sen. Howard why he does not trust you!"

The four-paragraph letter, which charges Howard with wanting to deny 2nd amendment freedoms and accepting the "gun control crowd's many lies," urges members to call Howard at his Jefferson City office and tell him they are watching his actions this election year.

The letter was dated Friday, and by Monday the senator had gotten dozens of calls. Howard said most of his calls had come from the Doniphan and Poplar Bluff areas, where he suspects the letters from the NRA were targeted.

Howard said he was unaware of the letter until calls started coming into his office.

Said Howard: "The letter has worked. I've been getting lots of calls. They (NRA) are trying to work me over with it."

Howard said he was disappointed with the NRA mailing into his district because he had made it clear he supported the concealed weapons provision if there were adequate safeguards included.

He said that not everyone in his district supports the measure and there is nothing wrong with making sure a good bill is passed.

Last week HB-1261, a crime bill containing the concealed weapons amendment, was in the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee that Howard serves on. A motion was made to send the bill to the floor; however, it died for lack of a second.

The NRA chastised Howard and other committee members for failing to second the bill.

But Howard explained no action was taken because some changes had been made in the concealed weapons provision and that members got the changes just minutes before the committee met. Several felt they needed time to study the changes before voting.

"We could have been voting for anything out of the committee blind," said Howard. "We had no directions from proponents of the bill present about the unseconded concealed guns proposal. We could have voted for a change that would be too loose or too restrictive if we had jumped in without looking."

The senator had earlier expressed some concerns about the proposal and said he wanted to be sure those concerns had been addressed.

"We wanted to make sure the permitting process is tight so only law-abiding stable people are able to carry concealed guns," said Howard. "Police would not have been able to check any existing mental health records without a change in the House bill. We worked to correct that."

In the House version, county sheriffs were required to issue the concealed weapons permits; however, they were opposed to the assignment. The new version placed the permitting responsibility with the secretary of state and investigations with the Department of Public Safety.

The bill can still be voted on, Howard said, if Sen. Jeff Schaeperkoetter, the committee chairman, decides to bring it to a vote.

With the new restrictions that have been put on the bill, Howard said Wednesday, "I will support the bill in committee and on the floor of the Senate."

Howard also said he had been informed earlier this year that the NRA did not want to push the concealed weapons amendment for another two years in order to give them more time to prepare a lobbying effort.

Rep. Joe Driskill, D-Poplar Bluff, offered the amendment to HB-1261 three weeks ago. It was approved by a wide margin in the House.