A heart felt THANK YOU from all sane Americans Judge Ohmer! You are
truly an oasis of enlightenment in a desert of ignorance. Proof that
the USA is still a great nation! When one sane man can overrule the
ignorant masses, well it just doesn't get any better than that.
Thankfully the Judge Ohmer's of the country are spread quite
strategically throughout the judicial system. I plan on writing a
personal thank you note to him and encourage all of you to do
likewise. Thank you for your cooperation.
Keke Goldfeller
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Concealed Weapons Law Blocked in Missouri
Sat Oct 11, 5:46 AM ET Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo!

By JEFF LATZKE, Associated Press Writer

ST. LOUIS - A judge temporarily blocked a law that would make Missouri
the 45th state to authorize concealed guns.

Circuit Judge Steven Ohmer ruled Friday that the law needed a further
review by the state Supreme Court and would have caused irreparable
harm had it taken effect Saturday.


The judge cited comments from debate at Missouri's constitutional
convention of 1875 that carrying concealed weapons is "a practice
which cannot be too severely condemned" and is connected to
"incalculable evil."


An appeal of the order filed by Attorney General Jay Nixon with the
state's Eastern District Court of Appeals was denied a short time
later. Nixon filed a second appeal with the state Supreme Court, but
Bill Thompson, a counsel for the high court, said it would not issue a
ruling Friday.


It was unclear when the state Supreme Court would take up the appeal.
Ohmer scheduled an Oct. 23 hearing to determine whether to impose a
permanent injunction.


Missouri entered the ranks of states allowing concealed guns when the
Legislature overrode Gov. Bob Holden's veto last month. The new law
also bars identification of concealed weapons permit-holders.


Advocates say the laws have contributed to drops in violent crime by
deterring criminals unsure whether a potential victim might be armed.
Holden and other critics say more guns in circulation will lead to
more violence.


"The conceal and carry law ... was obviously flawed in many respects,"
Holden said in a statement Friday. "I believe the court took
appropriate action today by preventing this ill-conceived law from
taking effect."


Supporters of the law predicted that they eventually will prevail.


"The plaintiffs went judge shopping and they found what they wanted,"
said attorney Kevin Jamison, president of the Western Missouri
Shooters Alliance. "Their petition is unbelievably frivolous. It shows
a complete misunderstanding of the law."


The plaintiffs in the case include public officials, members of the
St. Louis Clergy Coalition and the nonprofit Institute for Peace and
Justice.


The group cited a section of the Bill of Rights from the 1945 Missouri
Constitution that declared the right to bear arms "shall not justify
the wearing of concealed weapons" — and a similar clause in the
1875 version of the Missouri Constitution.


The Missouri attorney general's office argued the constitutional
clauses express a reservation, not a prohibition on concealed weapons.


Because the temporary restraining order came so close to the law's
effective date, Cole County Sheriff John Hemeyer had said his office
would accept applications as planned Saturday. He changed his mind
later Friday, saying he didn't want to tie up application fees.


Other sheriffs had not planned on accepting applications until next
Tuesday.


Ohmer agreed to hear the case in St. Louis after the city's sheriff
was added as a defendant. Most lawsuits against the state are tried in
Cole County, where the state capital is located.