Judge finds felon had right to be armed

ST. LOUIS -- A St. Louis judge has tossed a gun possession charge after ruling that a convicted felon had the right to be armed under a newly enacted amendment to the state constitution.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Judge Robert Dierker ruled Friday in the case of Raymond Robinson. The 55-year-old has a prior conviction on a felony charge of unlawful use of a weapon, for carrying a concealed weapon in 2003, and served time in prison.

The Missouri amendment that passed last year declares the right to keep and bear arms "unalienable" and subjects laws restricting gun rights to "strict scrutiny."

Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce has pledged an appeal. Her office said roughly 300 felon-in-possession charges are filed in St. Louis each year "to get dangerous felons disarmed."