The Democrats coined the term Obamacare to describe the crown jewel of their 2008 campaign, but it polls so poorly now, it has been purposely pulverized from the political lexicon. The mere mention of the “O-word” in Montana’s capitol prods leftists to explode in protest. “I object to the use of the word Obamacare,” they scream into the microphone. “It is a demeaning and belittling term to us.” In response, Republicans did what they do best—they crumbled, cowered, wet themselves and compromisingly replaced the objectionable term Obamacare with happier terms like “nationalized healthcare.” (In terms of political street fighting, most Republicans are pansies.)

While we were busy being bipartisan, the Democrat National Committee cranked out the new and improved replacement term for Obamacare; the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA. Ironically, the program protects nothing and isn’t affordable, but the acronym PPACA flows off your tongue so smoothly its usage will eventually indoctrinate us to accept rationed healthcare and death panels as the new, preferred ideal. Americans are easier to train than Pavlov’s dogs.

I pondered the power of the PPACA acronym as I prepared my floor speech for HB271, the only Second Amendment bill still alive in these final days of Montana’s 62nd legislative session. Dozens of gun bills were introduced and all, save one, have been tabled mostly because 52 of the 54 Democrats vote lock-step for strict gun control and half the Republicans pride themselves on their ability to compromise with the Democrats. I coined the acronym STBACA to describe my permit-less, conceal-carry bill, but in the end chose not to mention it during the floor debate. Monday, April 11th was a very long session and STBACA was too powerful to spring on the weary and unsuspecting legislators. So, you are hearing it now.

As amended in conference committee, HB271 would allow anyone eligible to possess a handgun under state or federal law to carry a concealed weapon without a permit, in all of Montana with the exception of the prohibited places defined in code (banks, bars, government buildings and schools). This self-evident and unalienable right to self-preservation was surrendered to the government in 1919 in response to prohibition era gun violence. Politicians habitually pass ineffective legislation to look tough on crime, so never trust legislators with the power to make law—it is an interesting dichotomy. Four other states currently allow the permit-less conceal-carry of weapons, Vermont, Alaska, Arizona and Wyoming; so these aren’t uncharted waters. Let me explain why permit-less conceal-carry and the fundamental right of self-defense are inseparable.

Let’s assume you are a serial rapist and you exhausted your extended unemployment benefits, so you must to move. Studying Chamber of Commerce relocation packets, you narrow your future home to three locales. The first city has the nation’s strictest gun control laws prohibiting both the open and conceal-carry of hand guns since 1975. Law abiding citizens couldn’t even own a hand gun until the DC v Heller Supreme Court decision in 2008. According to data from 2009, there were 1345 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, so although the competition between serial rapists will be intense, criminals do enjoy a safe working environment in Washington DC.

Option number two is Montana and legislators re-established the right to conceal-carry a weapon in places outside cities and towns in 1991. The 2009 data from the Treasure State reveals a violent crime rate of 253 per 100,000. Obviously, there is less competition than in DC, but work related injuries for serial rapists are significantly higher in Montana than in our nation’s capitol.

The last locale is another east coast state. Rich in history, the Green Mountain State is one of the 13 original colonies and since the birth of our great republic Vermonters have never prohibited the conceal-carry of weapons. The same ’09 data shows a violent crime rate of a mere 131 per 100,000. Vermont is just not a safe place for violent criminals to practice their profession, and this brings me to my point: STBACA.

I gave Montana’s HB271, the Permit-less Conceal-Carry Act, the catchy nickname acronym, STBACA which stands for: Sucks To Be A Criminal Act. Doesn’t that sound powerful? Imagine if the streets of Montana could be as safe as those in Vermont. HB271 passed the House on April 12th 69-29, but the Senate leadership appears reluctant to even schedule it for a floor vote. The passage of STBACA hinges on the whims of Senate President Peterson so with just a handful of days left in the session we may never know the core beliefs of the politician swinging a red-hot branding iron on the second floor of Montana’s capitol.