Gun Owners Shot Down Missouri Gov's Reelection Bid
(CNSNews.com) - Missouri Gov. Bob Holden, a Democrat, is one of the few sitting governors ever to lose a primary election. But Holden should have seen it coming because of his anti-gun stand, a Second Amendment group said on Wednesday.
Holden's defeat should serve as an object lesson for other politicians who place political correctness ahead of the personal safety of their constituents, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) said in a press release.
"Show Me State gun owners showed Bob Holden the door," said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. "Although they tried to downplay it, both the St. Louis Post Dispatch and Kansas City Star acknowledged that Holden's veto of concealed carry legislation cost him critical votes, especially in rural Missouri."
Missouri lawmakers returned to the state capital to override Holden's veto.
"Bob Holden's veto last year got Missouri gun owners mad, and on Tuesday, gun owners got even," Gottlieb said. "The governor's other leadership problems on education, the economy and social issues certainly crippled him, but his anti-gun philosophy was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back."
CCRKBA Executive Director Joe Waldron said Gov. Holden should serve as an example to other anti-gun politicians who may be tempted to underestimate the fury of gun owners. "Grassroots activism in the firearms community is alive and well, as Tuesday's primary vote demonstrated."
Waldron said Holden's defeat proves politicians cannot give lip service to gun rights and personal protection -- while voting otherwise. "Gun owners are out there, in the tall grass, and they don't forget," he said.
