The Gadfly is a series of letters offering commentary on local issues and published in the Warrensburg Gazette.

Dear Editor

The legislature has overridden Gov. Holden’s veto of the concealed carry bill and the anti-gun nuts are beside themselves with fury. They can’t stand the fact that Missouri’s Republicans and what I call “Country Democrats” seem to think that people who feel the need to defend themselves should have the means to do so. The previous prohibition was stricter even than New York’s laws; it dates back to the late 1800s when it was considered advantageous to ensure a person of color would not be armed before trying to lynch him.

The anti-gun zealots, unable to stop the override, have attacked some of those who voted for it. First, they say a Republican senator from a suburban St. Louis district is denying proper representation to his constituents, who voted against a much-different concealed carry initiative several years ago; they say he should have voted against override. Then, they turn around and attack another Republican senator who obtained leave from his called-up reserve unit to return and represent his pro-override constituents. I’m confused – should they only represent those constituents who agree with major urban newspapers?

The latest farce is the anti-gun lobby’s attempt attack on a couple of state representatives who own gun stores, including Shannon Cooper who serves the southern part of Johnson County. They say he should have abstained from the override vote because it could tangentially benefit his business. Let’s take that argument a bit further. Using that logic, legislators who farm couldn’t vote on bills affecting agriculture, Warrensburg’s Rep. David Pearce couldn’t vote on banking bills, and none of the many attorneys in the legislature could vote on tort reform. On the other hand, we might be better off if that were the rule – it would be so hard to get a quorum on anything that no laws would pass.

In our area, Sen. Caskey and Sen. Matthewson, both Democrats, voted to override, as did Republican Reps. Pearce and Cooper and Democrat Rep. D.J. Davis. Their efforts are appreciated.