Holden vows to veto concealed weapons bill
By Doug Moore
03/07/2003
Gov. Holden on Friday said that if it got to his desk, he
would veto a bill passed Thursday by the Missouri House that
would make it legal to carry concealed weapons.
He suggested such a proposal would be better decided in a
statewide vote similar to Proposition B, which was narrowly
defeated in 1999.
"I don't think it is the right course of action as a
society," Holden said while in St. Louis Friday. Allowing
concealed weapons would provide "no long-term safety and
does nothing to unite people," the governor said. The bill
would still have to be passed by the Senate.
Holden's remarks came after a 15-minute speech at the annual
legislative conference of the United Way of Greater St. Louis.
He said that with the proposed budget cuts suggested by
Republican legislators, Missouri's social service agencies would
have to serve as "the safety net for those being shoved out
of the state system."
Holden, a Democrat, also criticized Republicans for taking too
long to come to an agreement on how bonds would be sold to help
a budget shortfall this year and next. The Senate last month
agreed to borrow nearly $400 million in revenue bonds. Up to
$150 million would be used in the next few months to shore up
this year's budget. |
