Fix the gun law

Missouri's law that allows qualified adults to obtain permits to carry concealed weapons still has a legal cloud hanging over it. The fix is fairly simple, but Gov. Bob Holden says he will veto anything the legislature sends him -- unless it votes to repeal the conceal-carry law or put it to a vote of the people.

Neither of those things is likely to happen. The legislature passed a conceal-carry law last year that was vetoed by Holden, but legislators overrode the veto last September.

Putting the law into effect, however, was delayed by lawsuits. In February, the Missouri Supreme Court said the legislature had the right to grant conceal-carry privileges. But, the court said, the law might impose an unfunded mandate on county sheriffs, leading to more lawsuits. A couple of lawsuits have been filed in counties where sheriffs have begun issuing the permits.

At issue is the provision in the conceal-carry law giving sheriffs the option of charging a fee of up to $100 for each permit application. But the law restricts the use of that revenue to equipment purchases and training -- not the actual cost of processing the permit.

The question is whether there is any significant cost involved in issuing such a permit. But presuming a case could be made -- or gun owners' rights to obtain a conceal-carry permit could be further delayed by more lawsuits -- the legislature should quickly move the process along.

A revision under consideration in the Missouri Senate would simply allow sheriffs to use a portion of the already approved $100 fee to cover processing costs. But with the governor's veto threat and this being a tough election year, some Democrats in the legislature who were willing to help override last year's veto may be reluctant to upset the political cart this year.

That's no reason to avoid the issue, however. The legislature owes it to Missourians who want a permit to move the process along. If the fee change is sent to the governor and he vetoes it, then it will be up to supporters to light a fire under their legislators -- Democrats and Republicans -- for the veto session in September.

Doing nothing now would simply mean that there could be no legislative solution until the legislators convene for next year's regular session. That's too long to wait.