Cleo Johns case raises questions about gun laws

To the editor:

I regret seeing that Cleo Johns was charged with weapons offenses and that he has pleaded guilty. Your article says that since he pleaded only to carrying a weapon into a public assemblage, he is free to own weapons. Technically, he is free to own guns. However, Missouri law prohibits him from purchasing another handgun. This is doubly ironic, as a bar does not count as a public assemblage. (See State vs. Yates and Jackson 982 S.W.2d 767 (Mo. App W.D. 1998.)

For further information on Missouri weapons and self-defense law, go to www.wmsa.net and look at the "Stay Out of Jail Card."

KEVIN L. JAMISON

Attorney at law

Gladstone, Mo.