(2006-12-20) With sadness we report the passing of Steve Uhrig, who succumbed to long-standing health problems in October. At the time, news of his loss was overshadowed by political events as we were trying to make best use of every inch of space. We know Steve, who always focused on the mission, would understand. A long-time supporter of MPFO, he is noteworthy not only for his friendship and counsel, but for the example he gives in our fight for right to carry.
Steve was a private investigator, and for many years operated SWS Security which he owned in Street, MD. It was thus natural that he would qualify for a carry permit (not otherwise generally available) and in fact it was essential for him to serve certain clients. For not quite two decades he had no problem with the MSP paperwork. But one day Steve became a victim of Attorney General Curran’s famous change of mind on the meaning of the law about what constitutes a gun disability. Without any new act on his part, Steve over night became disallowed from possessing a gun, which makes it hard to get a carry permit. A decade’s old complaint that had been investigated and settled by MSP – which supported his application – was argued by the AG as the basis for him not to be able to get a permit.
(Does this sound like Don Arnold “Citizen of the Year”, the high-visibility case in which the AG sued to stop a PI from getting a permit? It should! And if anything, the fact package for Uhrig’s case is even more compelling.)
The permit was essential to his livelihood and without it, business dropped, insurance became problematic and his health continued to decline. But we admire Steve most for his fighting spirit, which he showed in response. He went after the AG’s paperwork morass, attacked the Permit Review Board, and cleared his name, albeit at the cost of tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees. Even then, and with MSP’s backing, he never got the permit to resume work.
Ironically, the Feds had no problem issuing Steve a variety of other permits on sensitive products and equipment. For example, he was trusted to handle and transport explosives even if the state didn’t trust him to carry a basic tool (like a handgun) to defend the explosives from falling into terrorist hands. Go figger!
For no good reason, Steve was hounded to his grave by “Poppa Joe” Curran and his merry band of gun grabbing zealots, yet he showed the fighting spirit, and kept up the struggle. The record of his legal battle is preserved by our Legal Attack Fund as a blueprint of determination. He never gave up. Neither should we. RIP