NRA PUSHES 'RIGHT TO CARRY' AGENDA

Concealed weapons work when it comes to reducing violent crime, say proponents of Missouri's "right to carry" referendum.

Missouri voters will decide in the April 6 election whether citizens should be allowed to carry concealed weapons.

About 300 people attended a National Rifle Association "right to carry" seminar in Cape Girardeau Saturday at the Drury Lodge.

The National Rifle Association has about 3 million members nationwide. About 110,000 of those members live in Missouri.

The NRA's Institute for Legislative Action has been holding meetings around the state to push for passage of the ballot measure.

"It is a grassroots effort to get people out to vote who favor Proposition B," said David C. Jones of the St. Louis suburb of Ellisville. Jones serves on the NRA's board of directors.

Fellow Missourian David Oliver of Wildwood also serves on the board.

Both men said Missourians would benefit from allowing law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons.

Missouri is one of only seven states without right-to-carry laws.

Thirty-one states have "shall issue" laws that allow residents to carry concealed weapons if they meet the qualifications for a license.

Twelve other states have concealed weapons laws that allow the issuing authority to deny permits for any reason.

Both Jones and Oliver said violent crime has been reduced in states that allow citizens to carry concealed weapons.

"When a criminal suspects that his prey may be armed, he stays away," said Jones.

To gun supporters, Florida is a success story. The state enacted its "right to carry" law in 1987.

In the first year after it was enacted, violent crime dropped 38 percent, Jones said.

The NRA is pouring millions of dollars into the campaign to pass Proposition B.

Missouri is the first state to seek to pass the weapons issue by public vote rather than legislative action.

Oliver said the NRA and other proponents of "right to carry laws" felt the issue had little chance of outright passage in the Legislature.

The Legislature passed a bill last year that authorized the referendum.

"It costs a hell of a lot of money and it is a lot of trouble," Oliver said of efforts to pass the measure.

But he and other NRA officials argue that the effort is worth it.

All Missourians -- including those who don't own guns -- would benefit from a concealed weapons law, said Oliver.

The criminals, he said, won't know who is armed and who isn't.

He said studies show that urban dwellers, blacks and women benefit most from a reduction in violent crime.

Gil Pyles of St. Louis attended the seminar. He is vice president of The Second Amendment Coalition of Missouri, a gun rights group that supports Proposition B.

Nationwide, there are 70 to 80 million gun owners.

In states that allow concealed weapons, only a small percentage of people secure permits to carry such weapons.

In South Dakota, 6 percent of the population is licensed to carry concealed weapons. That is the highest percentage in the nation, Pyles said.

Most Missourians still won't be walking around with concealed weapons even if the referendum passes, he said.

Proposition B would require applicants to be at least 21 years of age, a U.S. citizen and a Missouri resident.

The permit would only be issued to Missourians who passed an FBI nationwide fingerprint background check and a statewide criminal history check. They also would have to pass a firearms safety class approved by the Missouri Department of Public Safety.