The National Rifle Association will make the override of Senate Bill 656 their top priority in the country this week as the omnibus gun bill continues to gain momentum as the most high-profile legislation at stake on Wednesday, says an article in the Missouri Times.

The pro-gun group will launch a once-in-a-decade lobbying effort to override Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of a bill that has drawn fervent support and opposition from all corners of the country.

As part of their efforts, the NRA has flown in several staffers to help lobby lawmakers, launched television ads, and sent mailers to key targeted districts. Whit O’Daniel, who lobbies on behalf of the NRA, said he’s been texting the entire Republican caucus to inform them that the NRA ranks SB 656 as the biggest priority in the country. It’s also their biggest priority in Missouri since 2003.

Imagine that! The NRA thinks that giving any and all Missourians unregulated rights to buy, own, sell guns and shoot their neighbors at will (as in stand-your-ground) is one of the biggest priorities in the nation. It’ll be good for NRA sponsors I suppose, as in the get-rich-quick kind of good.

Just to provide a little counterpoint,  I also want to share  this tidbit  from an article posted on the Turner Report:

A former Tarkio R-1 High School student who brought a loaded semi-automatic pistol to school, causing the school to be locked down, pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing a machine gun that was found at his residence.

[…]

According to court documents, Knoth – who came to school on Feb. 11, 2016, wearing military-style clothing, boots and ballistic body armor – displayed a fully loaded magazine to another student that day. That student alerted a teacher, and the school contacted the Tarkio, Mo., Police Department. School officials then discovered a loaded Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol in Knoth’s backpack, along with four loaded 9mm pistol magazines, three loaded .223- or .556-caliber magazines, a spring-assisted knife, a seatbelt cutter and a window punch.

Knoth was arrested and handcuffed. The school was placed on lockdown.

Investigators searched Knoth’s vehicle, which was parked in the school parking lot. They found two loaded 9mm magazines and 15 loaded .223/.556-caliber magazines.

Investigators also searched Knoth’s residence. During a search of the southwest bedroom, investigators found a loaded machine gun in the closet – an AR-style .223/.556 pistol, containing no visible serial numbers or manufacturer stamp. They found a second machine gun, an UZI-style 9mm firearm (unknown manufacture), in the dresser. Investigators also found numerous rounds of ammunition and numerous loaded .223/.556 and 9mm magazines throughout the residence.

So are unstable young men with a fetish for guns and violence among the persons whose priorities the NRA is spending so much money to support? You better bet they, and their ilk will be among the beneficiaries.Of course, if the NRA gets its best-of-all-world druthers, teachers and administrators, along with each kid in Knoth’s school would all be sporting “good guy” guns in order to ward off attack. Possible outcomes? Draw  your own conclusions.

The post Who benefits from NRA’s push for MO guns-everywhere law? appeared first on Occasional Planet.

What in the world are we doing to ourselves? Another school shooting – this time in New Mexico. Where will the next one be?  Webster Groves?  Glendale?  Kirkwood?  Another theater shooting. This time the villain was a retired law enforcement officer who lost his temper and killed the father of a three year old girl. That little girl will have to grow up without her father because a man who was a “law abiding citizen” and had a gun became a murderer in a moment’s rage.

A man in Florida killed a teenager in the car next to his because he thought the kids were playing their music too loud. A gunman kills two people in a supermarket in Indiana. What are we doing to our society when this type of behavior starts to become accepted as normal?

It used to be that men who lost their temper punched each other, rolled on the ground and basically made fools of themselves.  Now they shoot each other. A black eye or broken jaw can heal. A broken family will never be the same.

Small towns are having to change their zoning laws to allow gun stores because they “can’t afford a lawsuit.” When the elected officials are afraid to protect their citizens, something is really, really wrong. When we make it even more dangerous for our police officers to do their job, something is really, really wrong. Grocery stores are allowing magazines with photos of assault weapons displayed along with the other magazines. Stores won’t feature hard core porn, but hard core violence is okay. What’s wrong with this picture?

Now that Illinois has a concealed carry law, businesses are having to decide whether to permit customers to roam the aisles carrying loaded weapons. This is crazy. Who wants to stand in line at the check-out with someone who might lose his temper and shoot the cashier? Some business owners say they are afraid to ban guns in their stores.  There’s that word again – afraid.  If foreign agents were terrorizing us like this, we’d send the Navy Seals, the CIA and the whole U.S. Army to ferret them out and bring them to justice. We are becoming no better than those disastrously uncivilized countries where members of armed militias ride around in open trucks shooting anyone who looks like an enemy.

But, to quote Shakespeare’s  Cassius: “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”  Who is the tyrant now, and why do we allow ourselves to be underlings?

The post Gun craziness appeared first on Occasional Planet.

Yes, Virginia, there can be a conversation about gun control. Think Progress has identified five regulations that NRA members have said they support. According to Think Progress, new research released in July by Republican pollster Frank Luntz for Mayors against Illegal Guns, finds that gun advocates overwhelmingly support common-sense measures typically described as “gun control.”  Here’s a summary:

1. Requiring criminal background checks on gun owners and gun shop employees. 87 percent of non-NRA gun-owners and 74 percent of NRA gun owners support the former, and 80 percent and 79 percent, respectively, endorse the latter.

2. Prohibiting terrorist watch list members from acquiring guns. Support ranges from 80 percent among non-NRA gun-owners to 71 percent among NRA members.

3. Mandating that gun-owners tell the police when their gun is stolen. 71 percent non-NRA gun-owners support this measure, as do 64 percent of NRA members.

4. Concealed carry permits should only be restricted to individuals who have completed a safety training course and are 21 and older. 84 percent of non-NRA and 74 percent of NRA member gun-owners support the safety training restriction, and the numbers are 74 percent and 63 percent for the age restriction.

5. Concealed carry permits shouldn’t be given to perpetrators of violent misdemeanors or individuals arrested for domestic violence. The NRA/non-NRA gun-owner split on these issues is 81 percent and 75 percent in favor of the violent misdemeanors provision and 78 percent/68 percent in favor of the domestic violence restriction.

So, what are we waiting for? Let’s get a federal law with these policies through Congress immediately. Even the hardest-line, NRA-funded Congresspeople would have a tough time opposing it, given the overwhelming public support for these provisions–particularly among NRA members. It would be an excellent  way to break apart Congressional gridlock, demonstrate a good faith effort to do something positive, and start a shamefully overdue conversation about gun violence in America. Enough hand-wringing, praying, hiding behind the gun lobby’s interpretation of the Second Amendment,  and symbolic lowering of flags to half-mast. Let’s get to work. If Congress can’t pass this one, after what happened in Newtown, Connecticut, they might as well turn off the lights and go home.

The post 5 gun regulations that even NRA members support appeared first on Occasional Planet.

The Illinois House defeated a measure to allow citizens to carry concealed firearms, shortly after Governor Quinn promised to veto the measure. Supporters managed to keep the bill technically alive through legislative maneuvering; however, there seems little chance that any concealed-carry bill will become law in Illinois anytime soon.

Proponents of the Illinois bill argued that allowing licensed, trained individuals to carry concealed firearms would allow them self-protection from crime. Those licensed to carry would have been required to obtain a “FOID” (firearm owner’s identification) card just as current firearm owners are. There would also have been background checks for criminal history or mental illness. It was noted that Illinois is one of only two states (Wisconsin is the other) that do not have some type of concealed-carry law, and that if criminals are already carrying concealed weapons, then citizens should be allowed the chance to defend themselves by doing the same thing legally.

Governor Quinn’s response to the “public safety” argument was to assert that legal concealed carry increases public safety. “Keep Guns Off Campus” notes that since 2007, nine law enforcement officers have died at the hands of citizens carrying concealed weapons legally, along with 273 civilians killed at the hands of people legally carrying concealed weapons. Studies have failed to demonstrate any connection between issuing concealed carry permits and any statistically significant rise or drop in crime rates. An updated “counter” of deaths attributable to persons with concealed carry permits is available at the Violence Policy Center.

Guns Off Campus notes that several states have found that the issuing of concealed carry permits is much tougher to enforce than was originally envisioned. Texas, Florida, Indiana and Tennessee have discovered that concealed carry licenses are frequently issued to individuals with criminal histories.

The advocates of concealed carry firearm laws are fast to laud those who respond to criminal behavior while carrying firearms. A recent instance was Jared Loughner’s rampage in Arizona, to which a citizen carrying a concealed firearm responded. Joe Zamudio credited his willingness to respond to the scene of a shooting to his having a legally concealed firearm at the time. Less noted was the fact that at his arrival on the scene, Zamudio pointed his weapon at a fellow responder who had taken Loughner’s firearm away when he was finally tackled. Zamudio admitted that he came very close to killing a fellow responder rather than a wrongdoer.

Police are generally given training on how and when to use a firearm in a dangerous situation. When private citizens receive training prior to issuance of a concealed carry permit, emphasis is placed on safe handling, transport and the right to self-defense – nothing on how to intervene as a proxy law-enforcement officer in a criminal situation. Law enforcement officers frequently oppose concealed carry laws because of the confusion a police officer faces when arriving at a crime scene. Rather than concentrating on the “bad-guys,” the officer may be forced to determine who is and who is not armed and why. So why is there a constant push to expand the right to carry, even to the point of allowing teachers to carry firearms in schools?

The National Rifle Association continues to push for expansion of gun rights, even when NRA members and ordinary citizens believe that expanded gun rights are a bad idea. Funding comes from organizations such as Xe (formerly Blackwater), Beretta, Browning, Glock, etc. These corporations donate millions (individually and collectively) to ensure the continued flow of firearms. NRA contributions also flow generously from the manufacturers of high-capacity magazines. Perhaps this explains the NRA’s opposition to proposed legislation limiting magazine sizes to avoid massacres by people such as Loughner, who used high-capacity magazines.

Rachel Maddow recently documented how an entire neighborhood, a short drive from where the NRA’s 2010 convention took place, has been devastated by gun violence. In 2012 (April 13-15), the NRA convention will come to St. Louis, a city that has also seen its share of gun violence. On a scale of 1 to 100, St. Louis scores a 1 for safety from crime. Perhaps a suitable reception could be organized by the organization that opposes even the most reasonable efforts to limit access to firearms. A late-night tour of the area for participants to give them an idea of what gun violence can do, perhaps?

The post Illinois nixes concealed-carry. St. Louis hosts NRA. appeared first on Occasional Planet.

How generous and gracious it was of the powers that be in the Missouri legislature to designate the final day of the session as “St. Louis Day.” It was truly magnanimous to allocate one out of 127 days to the state’s largest metropolitan area. If truth be told, the largest metropolitan area in the state was essentially an afterthought to the legislators.

Let’s consider a few relevant facts:

• The state of Missouri has a population of 5,987,580.

• The St. Louis metropolitan area has a population of 2,779,939.

• The Missouri portion of the St. Louis metropolitan area has a population of 2,094,043, or 35% of the state’s population.

However you might want to define St. Louis, the fact remains that its influence in the state legislature is far less than its numbers would warrant.

In today’s world, Missouri, like virtually every other state, is an artificial construct. It exists only because states were the natural outgrowth of the colonies, which were created as the British and others crossed the Atlantic in search of freedom and opportunity. It’s interesting how the colonies were similar in size to European countries. Rhode Island could have been the Netherlands; Pennsylvania could have been Germany.

What is unique about America is that it saw the wisdom of unity, first in opposition to the British who had colonized it. After the successful revolution, the concept of “states’ rights” was given a try with the Articles of Confederation, but it had inherent weaknesses. Sounder minds prevailed, and the Constitution of the United States, bringing the former colonies together, was ratified in 1788.

We are a nation of Americans, diverse at that, but united in the identity of a country with standards that we can try to practice and that others can emulate.

Back to St. Louis. We define our identity and even allegiances by how we “walk the walk.” Where do we go when we leave our metropolitan area? It’s hard to find a St. Louisan who hasn’t gone to Chicago. Many have gone to Memphis, to New Orleans, and to the megalopolis that defines the northeast area from Boston to Washington. California is still a highly desired destination with increased interest in the cities and natural beauty of America’s southwest and northwest.

Missouri is made up of 114 counties. How many people have been to more than a handful of them? How many people have lodged for an evening in more than five counties?

Yet when it comes to making numerous rules regarding how we live, we are united with Adair County, Barton County, Cooper County, Daviess County, Hickory County, New Madrid County, Pulaski County, Saline County, Taney County, Worth County, and nearly one hundred more. What do we have in common with them? Mainly geographic proximity, but there are even holes in that argument. It takes over six hours to drive from St. Louis to Atchison County in the northwest corner of Missouri. It takes less than five minutes to drive from St. Louis to St. Clair County in Illinois. We can fly to virtually any metropolitan area in the United States in less time than we can drive to Atchison County.

So, when the Missouri legislature tries to govern, St. Louis is linked with entities with which it has very little connection. St. Louis is connected to the rest of Missouri by boundaries that may have made sense two hundred years ago, but are essentially meaningless now.

Despite the fact that the St. Louis metropolitan area is the largest concentration of people in the state, the views of many Missouri legislators from outside the area range from indifference to hostility. Consider what happened, or didn’t happen, in the just-concluded Missouri legislative session.

In the area of crime-fighting, the legislature once again failed to lift its control of the St. Louis City Police Board, something that it co-opted 150 years ago at the beginning of the Civil War. Maybe they need more time to study the issue. In a related issue, the legislature must have thought that there aren’t enough guns on the streets, so they lowered the age at which a citizen can carry a concealed weapon from 23 years of age to 21.

With the one issue of crime, we can see how flagrantly the interests of St. Louis are stymied, because it is saddled with an antiquated association with over 100 rural counties, with which it has few common interests.

If the 2,779,939 in the St. Louis metropolitan area (including Metro-East), were a unified governmental entity that was autonomous, so long as it abided by federal law, we would immediately have local control of the police, and most handguns would be outlawed, at least on public streets.

Instead of the Missouri legislature looking for new ways to keep women from their constitutional right to abortion, we would be establishing health clinics throughout the area, in which women could receive comprehensive reproductive services, provided in a non-judgmental fashion.

Tax credits to preserve historic buildings would be determined by the people who live closest to these buildings, not others who are hundreds of miles away. The concept of tax credits for a possible China hub would also be decided by those most affected. My hunch is that the idea would be deep-sixed and replaced with meaningful credits to re-stimulate manufacturing in St. Louis, rather than distributing someone else’s goods.

On Sunday, May 15, 2011, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorialized that the “job creation agenda lay in tatters on the Capitol’s marble floors.” The editorial examines the roots of the problem.

As this legislative session proved again, the problems in Jefferson City are institutional. They’re tied to campaign finance rules that are practically non-existent, term limits that start the clock ticking on the next election cycle before the session even begins, lax ethics rules that allow lobbyists to have outsized influence with impressionable first-time lawmakers and a political system that has both parties playing to their most extreme factions.

Missouri is not the only state that stymies the will of its metropolitan areas; it happens across the country. So what can we do about it? We cannot eliminate states, if for no other reason than they were here first.

What we can do is harness the power of the federal government to better utilize its effective tax tools of a progressive income tax to collect money in a fair fashion (currently in a hiatus so long as the Bush tax breaks for the wealthy remain in effect, for rather inexplicable reasons). Straightening out the federal tax code is an easier enterprise than trying to do so in fifty states.

With the federal government as “tax collector in chief,” it could eliminate direct grants to states and instead send them to newly strengthened metropolitan governments, as well as newly created rural governing entities  that could make policy without the hindrance of metropolitan interests.

None of this will happen quickly. As described in chapter 17 of An Unlikely Candidate, meaningful change will require at least a generation. What we can do now is recognize the absurdity of state governance and begin the dialogue toward a more meaningful federalism based on progress rather than obstruction.

[Image credit: News-Tribune]

The post Legislative session shows how states are anachronisms appeared first on Occasional Planet.