Legislature gives final OK to concealed guns

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Four years after voters narrowly rejected the idea, the legislature gave final approval Monday to a bill letting qualified Missourians carry concealed guns -- without putting the issue on a statewide ballot.

The legislature's action, however, may not be the end of the matter.

Democratic Gov. Bob Holden has said he would veto the legislation, citing his philosophical opposition to concealed guns and the results of the April 1999 election.

If Holden vetoes the bill, lawmakers could attempt to override him during their annual September session.

The legislation lets people 23 and older who have taken handgun training courses apply to their county sheriffs for concealed gun permits. It also allows anyone at least age 21 to conceal guns in the passenger compartment of a vehicle without need of a permit.

House approval Monday followed a Senate vote Friday.

Supporters say circumstances have changed in the four years since Missourians defeated a concealed guns proposal by 52 percent of the vote, with opposition strongest in urban areas.

"This is a totally different proposal," said Rep. Charles Portwood, R-Ballwin, adding that the 1999 measure "didn't have the safeguards, the fingerprinting" for criminal background checks among other things. Portwood says he voted against the 1999 proposition but supported the bill Monday.

"There is a change of sentiment," Portwood added. "People feel a little bit differently after the United States was attacked."

Missouri is one of just six states that do not allow concealed guns, according to the National Rifle Association. The rest also are in the Midwest -- Kansas, Illinois, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Nine other states sharply restrict concealed gun permits, and the other 35 have concealed gun laws the NRA supports.

"It's time that Missouri join the 35 other states ... that allow their citizens to protect themselves when they are outside their homes," said Rep. Larry Crawford, R-California, the sponsor of the bill.

Opponents predicted the legislation would lead to more bloodshed and an uncivilized society. They also cited the 1999 vote, saying the legislation went against the will of the voters.

"My greatest concern is that with more small weapons we will see more accidental injuries, particularly to children whose small hands more readily get around small weapons," said Rep. Vicky Riback Wilson, D-Columbia.

Added Rep. Tom Villa, D-St. Louis: "More people are going to get hurt, more people are going to get maimed, and it's just going to be a proliferation of more blood."

The House, which had passed a slightly different version the bill in March, gave final approval to the legislation Monday by a 105-40 vote with 18 members either absent or not voting. The Senate passed the bill 23-7 on Friday after amending it to raise the minimum age for getting a concealed gun permit from 21 to 23.

In both chambers, the votes occurred only after supporters used a parliamentary move to shut off debate.

Holden said Friday that he would veto the bill, but he declined to discuss it Monday, citing the deadly tornadoes that hit Missouri on Sunday.

To override a governor's veto requires two-thirds majority votes in both chambers -- 109 votes in the House and 23 in the Senate.

Crawford has predicted that the Legislature would have no trouble meeting the threshold.

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Concealed guns bill is HB349.

On the Net

Missouri Legislature: www.moga.state.mo.us

DETAILS OF CONCEALED GUNS LEGISLATION

APPLICATIONS

Missourians at least age 23 may apply to their county sheriff for a permit to carry concealed guns. They must be a U.S. citizen and either live in the state for six months or be stationed here in the Armed Forces. Applicants must undergo state and federal criminal background checks and pay $100 for a three-year permit, with a renewal cost of $50.

DISQUALIFICATIONS

Permits are denied to anyone who had been charged or convicted of a felony; convicted of a violent misdemeanor or twice convicted of driving while intoxicated in the previous five years; dishonorably discharged from the military; mentally incompetent; or believed by the sheriff to be "a danger to himself or others."

TRAINING

Applicants must complete an eight-hour training course on handgun safety and marksmanship, as well as the safe care, cleaning and storage of firearms. The course must include a live firing exercise at a silhouette target.

LOCATIONS

Concealed guns would be prohibited in police stations, prisons, courthouses, hospitals, local government meetings, taverns, airports, schools, colleges, child-care facilities, casinos, amusement parks, churches, within 25 feet of polling places, sports arenas that seat at least 5,000, or any place where a private property owner posts a sign prohibiting them.

VEHICLES

Missourians at least age 21 could conceal guns within the passenger compartment of their vehicles without having to satisfy any of the requirements for carrying a concealed gun.