WEAPONS MEASURE COULD SINK CRIME BILL

JEFFERSON CITY -- Gov. Mel Carnahan stopped by Sen. Peter Kinder's office in the capitol just before the Senate went into session Thursday morning. But unlike most of the visitors who had been in that day, his primary purpose was not to wish Kinder a happy birthday.

Although Carnahan did offer birthday wishes to the Cape Girardeau Republican, the purpose of the visit was to talk about an amendment he has pending on the Senate floor to allow people to get permits to carry concealed weapons.

Carnahan, accompanied by his deputy chief of staff, Roy Temple, talked briefly with Kinder about the issue. Carnahan is a staunch opponent of the concealed weapons proposal and has threatened to veto any bill that is passed with the provision in it.

Kinder offered the proposal as an amendment Tuesday to a juvenile crime bill, which is part of the governor's legislative package. A point of order was raised, concerning the relevance of the amendment to the bill by Majority Leader J.B. "Jet" Banks, D-St. Louis.

The point of order will not be ruled on until the Senate goes back to the bill, which it did not do on Thursday. If it comes up today and the point of order is ruled in Kinder's favor, then there has to be a vote on the amendment.

Kinder believes he has between 19 and 22 senators who will vote for the amendment. The only way to avoid a vote would be for Kinder to withdraw the amendment, something the senator has not yet agreed to do despite encouragement from senators and representatives from both parties who are wanting to see the juvenile crime bill passed.

On Thursday, Kinder gave no indication what he would do, although he did express concern that the concealed weapons provision has strong majorities in both houses and that the governor and a few legislators were trying to block it.

If the amendment is added to the juvenile crime bill, Banks told Kinder on the Senate floor Wednesday that he would filibuster by reading the New Testament of the Bible "from Matthew to Revelations" if necessary.

Thursday night Temple said that as far as he knew Kinder had not decided to withdraw the amendment.

Both the House and Senate have passed crime bills, one of which has the concealed weapons provision in it as an amendment.

On Thursday afternoon, the House approved a bill sponsored by Sen. Joe Moseley, D-Columbia, which is the Senate version of the crime bill with the concealed weapons measure attached. The House added other amendments, which means the Senate must accept the bill as it is now, or vote to send it to a conference committee to resolve differences.

The 1994 session of the Missouri General Assembly will adjourn at 6 p.m. today, in accordance with the state constitution.

Dealing with the stalemate between Kinder's amendment and the juvenile crime bill likely will be one of the first items of business when the Senate convenes this morning for its last day.

When Kinder arrived at his office Thursday morning it was decorated with black streamers and balloons signifying the milestone of his 40th birthday. Donuts were served outside the office to give everyone a chance to stop by and offer greetings.

Kinder's birthday made him the target of barbs on the Senate floor during the day, and several of his colleagues donned black arm bands for the aging senator.