104 COUNTIES FOR PROP B; CITIES HOLD SWAY

So Missouri voters went to the polls in record numbers for an April election and narrowly rejected Proposition B, which would have established the right to carry concealed weapons. A 35 percent turnout of voters -- last year, with no such comparable issue to stimulate interest, the figure was 12 percent -- rejected Prop B by a margin of 52-48 percent. The issue carried in 104 of the state's 114 counties, including every county in the Eighth Congressional District and, indeed, every county south of the Missouri River outside the urban areas.

Ah yes, the urban areas. Prop B lost 61-39 percent in Jackson County (Kansas City). It was crushed in the greater St. Louis region. While it won a 7,000-vote majority in Jefferson County, it lost by roughly the same margin in fast-growing St. Charles County and was stomped 70-30 percent in St. Louis County. This meant an insurmountable St. Louis County margin of 113,000 votes to go with a 32,000-vote margin in the City of St. Louis. The upshot is that the issue lost statewide by slightly less than 44,000 votes.

The failure of Prop B thus can be laid primarily to suburban voters, especially suburban women. It can be said that Prop B supporters, who bore a burden of proof as do backers of any change in our laws, failed to meet that burden, at least with the suburban swing voters who proved decisive here.

An incredibly sharp dichotomy is thus revealed between Missouri's urban and suburban voters as against those residing outstate. The latter tend to be more comfortable with guns, having in many cases grown up with them. The former, far less so.

It is safe to say the National Rifle Association probably won't be signing onto any more statewide referenda anytime soon. Such an approach, always a gamble, was an expensive loss for the NRA. None of the 31 other states that have such a law had passed this by referendum. Leaders of the NRA should perhaps emphasize the public relations aspects of their cause. Some friends of the NRA believe that they began losing suburban women and moderates when, some years back, they got themselves dragged into an argument over preserving every Americans' right to have an assault weapon.

It is too soon to say what, exactly will be the upshot of Tuesday's vote, beyond laying the issue to rest for the foreseeable future. A future governor could, perhaps, sign a reasonable version of the law on the books in 31 other states. But don't bet on it anytime real soon.