Profiles in Courage: Denny Hoskins

I guess it's contagious.

Inspired by the courageous leadership of Rep. Tim Jones, Rep Denny Hoskins (R-Warrensburg) just couldn't find the chamber when it came time to vote on an amendment allowing folks to carry concealed weapons on college campuses. The amendment was approved 106-41, with Hoskins nowhere to be found.

In completely unrelated news, Hoskins has been pressed on the issue of concealed weapons on college campuses in UCM's student newspaper, The Muleskinner. Two weeks ago, a letter was written asking Hoskins to examine the issue of weapons on campus in light of the Virginia Tech tragedy. Hoskins didn't like that, and in response, employed a somewhat unorthodox damage control strategy which involved a public confrontation with the student letter-writer on campus. Predictably, Hoskins' tantrum ended escalated the whole thing, and even got him some press in the Warrensberg Daily Star-Journal.

Hoskins main beef with the letter was that it assumed his position on concealed firearms on college campuses, based on a very reasonable interpretation of his perfect NRA rating. Hoskins was furious, and wanted everyone to know that he didn't have a position on the issue.

Two weeks later, when this very question came up -- carry and conceal permits on college campuses -- Hoskins did what any courageous legislator who treasures his NRA score would do: skip the vote entirely.