Vermont Firearms Freedom Is 'Holy Grail' for Missouri Man

Josey1

Vermont Firearms Freedom Is 'Holy Grail' for Missouri Man (You wont find this on RKBA either,Chuck) Monday, January 21, 2002 A Missouri gun enthusiast is campaigning to ease firearms restrictions in his state, using Vermont law as a model. Steve Umscheid, 55, likes Vermont's firearms freedom so much that he has named his ballot initiative the Vermont Project 2002. He's circulating a petition that calls for a repeal of the Missouri laws that prohibit the carrying of concealed weapons. Vermont is the only state in the nation that doesn't require a permit to carry weapons. "Vermont's concealed weapon law is a legend across the nation in the gun community," said Umscheid, a computer programmer who works for the city of St. Louis. "No restrictions: That's the Holy Grail." Umscheid attempted a similar concealed weapon initiative in 1999 and lost by only 4 percent because of strong opposition in the state's urban centers. Rural areas strongly backed it. He has until the end of April to collect enough signatures from registered voters to try again on the November ballot. He said he needs at least 60,000 valid signatures; so far, he only has 6,000. Umscheid sees that he might have an uphill battle ahead. He said Missouri Gov. Bob Holden, a Democrat, had already vowed not to sign either of the two concealed-weapon bills now before the Missouri Legislature. And although officials have said applications to carry a concealed weapon rose around the nation after the Sept. 11 attacks, Umscheid hasn't seen a corresponding jump in enthusiasm from the volunteers he needs to collect signatures the second time around. "Our second attempt at collecting our signatures is almost certainly not going to happen," he said. "We need some kind of event to get these people off dead center. If (the Sept. 11 attacks) wasn't that, then I don't know what will move them." Umscheid's never been to Vermont, and the only person he knows in the state is a high school classmate who moved to Vermont two decades ago. But he had high praise for state Rep. Fred Maslack, R-Poultney, who in 2000 introduced two bills designed to get more firearms into the hands of ordinary Vermonters. One of Maslack's bills would have penalized some residents for failing to own a firearm. And Umscheid often points out in his campaigning that Vermont has a relatively low crime rate. Umscheid hasn't sought the support of Vermont leaders, and he's resigned himself to the fact that the National Rifle Association hasn't thrown its weight behind his campaign, either. The NRA didn't return calls to its Washington-area headquarters last week about the Vermont Project 2002. It might be easier for Umscheid to move to Vermont than for him to succeed in changing Missouri law, he said. But he sees himself as a crusader trying to fix a serious social problem. "We're trying to get the problem solved here in Missouri," he said. "I consider it an opportunity. If I can leave this behind, it will have put a dent in the universe." http://foxnews.com/story/0,2933,43605,00.html