Here’s how Missouri lawmakers recall the vote to lift gun permit requirements in 2007
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The rollback of Missouri gun laws
Missouri state lawmakers removed most gun restrictions in recent years. A study showed the repeal of permit to purchase laws in 2007 led to more firearm deaths.
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More than 90% of Missouri’s General Assembly voted to remove permit requirements for gun purchases at the end of the legislative session in 2007. It was a pivotal bill in the deregulation of guns in Missouri, and the state now has one of the highest gun death rates in the country.
Only nine members of the General Assembly voted against repealing the permitting requirements.
Nearly 15 years later, a number of legislators expressed regret over the vote they cast. Many legislators did not remember their vote and admitted to not thoroughly reading bills that came in so close to the end of the session.
Among the people who voted yes to the repeal are politicians, prosecutors and policymakers who went on to become gun safety advocates.
The Star attempted to contact nearly every member of the 2007 General Assembly. Many had left public service, others had died, and for some, no contact information was available.
In the end, reporters reached out to more than 40 senators and representatives from the 2007 General Assembly. Here’s what they had to say on their vote and the state of gun laws in Missouri today.
Jeanette Mott Oxford, D-St. Louis City, House: 2004-2012
2007 vote on removing permit to purchase: No
*Oxford uses the nonbinary zir/zirs pronoun
Mott Oxford, who currently works as a campaign strategist for Metropolitan Congregation United, was one of the only legislators who voted not to remove the permit to purchase firearms. Zir grew up hunting on a farm in Illinois and loved target practice as a child — if asked to go to a firing range today, zir would probably go and enjoy it.
But in 1987, Mott Oxford’s uncle died by firearm suicide, which deeply informed zir’s thoughts about firearms. Mott Oxford’s past personal experiences taught zir the responsibility, and potential dangers, of firearms.
“I can’t drive a car without passing a test about it, and a car can certainly harm other people,” Mott Oxford said. “There’s just a whole lot of things that you have to prove that you’re competent at doing them. And I think a gun should fall in that category.”
Jake Zimmerman, D-St. Louis, House: 2006-2011
2007 vote on removing permit to purchase: Yes
Zimmerman, who currently serves as the St. Louis assessor, was one of many in the General Assembly who voted yes on the bill removing requirements for gun permits. Most Missouri Democrats at the time did not come out against the bill.
Although Zimmerman does not recall the legislation, he said, “When I was serving in the legislature, gun violence was a serious problem in Missouri, and nationwide. Sadly, it’s still at epidemic levels. I strongly support all efforts to curb this terrible scourge.”
Zimmerman did not respond to questions about whether he regrets his vote.
Allen Icet, R-St. Louis, House: 2002-2010
2007 vote on removing permit to purchase: Yes
Icet, who now serves as the Greene County collector, voted to remove the permit to purchase, like all other Republicans and most Democrats at the time.
Like Mott Oxford, Icet has lost a family member to suicide, but does not take the same stance on gun safety legislation. If he were to have to vote on the same legislation today, Icet said he would vote the same way as in 2007.
He’s concerned that in places like New York or Washington, D.C., where there is stricter gun legislation, it has become “impossible if you don’t have the right kind of connection to purchase a firearm for protection.”
There is no research or evidence that found this to be true.
Jolie Justus, D-Jackson County, Senate: 2006-2014
2007 vote on removing permit to purchase: No
Justus, who now is an attorney in Kansas City, was one of the few people who voted not to remove the permit to purchase restriction.
“One of the things that just really concerned me at the time was what appeared to be the slow chipping away at all of the regulations that we had relating to firearms in the state of Missouri,” said Justus.
“I felt very strongly that we had a public health crisis related to gun violence, and that there was nothing that removing regulations — common sense regulations — would do to help that crisis. It would only make things worse.”
John Burnett, D-Jackson County, House: 2002-2010
2007 vote on removing permit to purchase: Yes
Burnett, now an attorney in Kansas City, is a strong advocate for gun safety legislation.
Like many in the 2007 General Assembly, Burnett did not recall this vote. The repeal of permit to purchase was passed at the end of the legislative session as part of a larger omnibus bill that was hundreds of pages long.
During his time as an elected official in Missouri and in the years that followed, Burnett said, he saw the state’s gun laws being eroded with new pieces of legislation regulating where you could carry a gun or how you could get a gun.
Despite voting to remove permits to purchase, Burnett said that while serving in the legislature, he often cautioned against deregulating guns. Burnett, who lives in a neighborhood where gunshots can regularly be heard, voted against prior gun legislation, like the 2003 Castle Doctrine that allowed residents to use deadly force against trespassers and intruders.
“One of their arguments consistently was, ‘If we have more guns, we will have less violence. We should arm more people so that we have more safety on the streets,’” Burnett said.
“And when you are arguing upside-down logic like that, it’s really difficult and frustrating to those of us who have witnessed the results of more guns on the street — it’s like telling me up is down and black is white..”
Bill Deeken, R-Jefferson City, House: 2002-2010
2007 vote on removing permit to purchase: Yes
Deeken said he has “definitely forgotten” the legislation, but he does support people’s right to access guns.
“I’ve never had a gun in my life. I just know that people should be allowed to protect themselves. That’s all I wanted, that’s all I voted for,” Deeken said. “I think people are entitled to guns. I was never a big advocate for these big guns people are getting. I was more for somebody carrying it in their pocket, or a lady carrying it in her purse, or something like that. I don’t think we need guns out there that shoot rounds and rounds of bullets at a time.”
This story was originally published October 31, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
