Legislation allowing Missourians 21 and
over to seek permits to carry concealed weapons cleared the House
on Thursday.
The 108-33 vote sent the bill to the Senate, where several
similar House-passed measures have died in previous years.
Only one Republican -- Rep. Kathlyn Fares of Webster Groves --
voted against the bill. But House Democrats were divided on the
measure, reflecting the rural-urban split that doomed a concealed
weapons proposal put before Missouri voters in 1999.
Under the bill, people 21 and over could apply to their county
sheriffs for a permits allowing them to carry concealed weapons
except in certain specified places, such as churches and
government buildings.
Applicants would have to take an eight-hour safety course and
pass background checks, and permits would be denied to people with
certain criminal histories or mental conditions.
Opponents said they worried the bill would create more fear
because anyone could be concealing a weapon.
But Rep. Larry Crawford, who sponsored the bill, said it would
afford Missourians the same right to protect themselves as
residents of 43 other states.
Missouri's law would be among the most restrictive in the
nation, said Crawford, R-Centertown. He and other proponents said
the National Rifle Association had misgivings about the bill
because of the restrictions it contains.
Several male lawmakers said they wanted their wives to be able
to carry concealed guns.
"For many of us this is an issue of personal safety,"
said Rep. Chuck Purgason, R-Caulfield. "A lot of our wives
are home alone, they travel. ... It's an issue that my wife feels
very strong about."
But Rep. Barbara Fraser, D-University City, reminded the
chamber that Missouri voters had rejected a similar proposal four
years ago.
"This bill is an insult to the people of this state,"
Fraser said. "We have already made this decision. We have
already voted on this issue. And it has been a clear
decision."
Republican House Speaker Catherine Hanaway, whose suburban St.
Louis district voted against the referendum four years ago, said
she opposed the measure last year. But she voted for it on
Thursday.
Hanaway, of Warson Woods, said she believed that in light of
new "direct threats to personal safety," people have
changed their minds on the question of concealed guns.
"I have been persuaded by the evidence that
conceal-and-carry is working in 43 other states, and that some of
the arguments against conceal-and-carry haven't really borne out
to be true in the states that have gone forward with that,"
Hanaway said. "It's working in the overwhelming majority of
states, and I think it can work in Missouri."
Hanaway said the training and safety provisions in the bill
were among the strictest anywhere, adding, "I think that is
the balance."
Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder said he was optimistic
that the bill would pass in his chamber, although he expected that
opponents would stall the debate.
"We will try and pass it but beyond that, I don't
know," said Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau. "I know we have
the votes, and we have a fairly large bipartisan majority, it's
just a matter of getting it to a vote."
Gov. Bob Holden has previously threatened to veto any concealed
gun legislation similar to the 1999 measure.
"As far as I know, the governor is personally opposed to
it," said his spokeswoman, Mary Still. "He believes the
people have spoken on it. He respects the wishes of the
people."
