With the stroke of a pen, Gov. Bob Holden on Thursday blocked the latest attempt to legalize concealed weapons in Missouri.

Holden vetoed the bill at a rally in St. Louis County, where voters opposed legalizing concealed weapons by more than 2-1 when the issue was put to a statewide vote in 1999.

Holden called the bill "a misguided legislative proposal that would overthrow the will of the people and place the lives of countless Missourians in jeopardy."

Gun-rights supporters were undeterred, saying they are gearing up to try to override the veto when the General Assembly meets again in September. With a Republican majority in favor of concealed weapons and many rural Democrats likely to defect from Holden's side, the bill's supporters say they already might have the votes.

Holden gave a litany of reasons for opposing the new legislation: Required training is inadequate; guns would be more available to children; permit holders from other states with no training could carry guns in Missouri.

Holden also said people with a history of mental illness and those convicted of domestic abuse could get permits to carry guns. He said the legislation would increase accidental shootings and would pose a risk to police officers.

"We have already had this debate on concealed weapons in Missouri and Missourians spoke loud and clear with a resounding `No!' " Holden said.

Gun-rights advocates said they were not surprised by the governor's action.

Kevin Jamison, president of the Western Missouri Shooters Alliance, said Holden's veto meant that Missouri residents continue to be denied a right available to residents of nearly three dozen other states. Kansas, however, does not allow concealed weapons.

"This just shows he thinks Missourians are less trustworthy, less reliable, less sane and more violent than people in Arkansas," Jamison said. "Since he doesn't trust us, we don't trust him to be governor. And we'll vote accordingly."

Rep. Larry Crawford, the Centertown Republican who sponsored the legislation, said Holden's reasons for opposing the legislation were not borne out by the experience of other states. Concealed carry laws have not led to more accidental shootings, he said.

Experience shows that relatively few people who get permits actually decide to carry weapons, Crawford said. But criminals are less likely to attack because they don't know who might be armed. People with guns can step into emergency situations when police are not around, he said.

"Maybe it means more law-abiding people with guns are on the street," Crawford said. "But that just helps reduce crime."

The Missouri bill, with its requirement for eight hours of training and a live-fire test, has stiffer training requirements than most other states, he said.

Crawford said the 1999 proposition to legalize concealed guns -- which lost by 44,000 votes -- was not an accurate expression of Missourians' attitudes because turnout was only about 30 percent. The issue still prevailed in 104 of the state's 114 counties.

Opponents of concealed carry scoffed at such contentions. Todd Elkins, chairman of Missouri Impact, an inter-faith group of congregations, said Holden should be commended for standing up to the gun lobby.

The 10 counties -- including Jackson -- and the city of St. Louis that defeated the proposition are the large jurisdictions that provide most of the taxes and the jobs that power the state's economy, Elkins said. By trying to overturn a statewide vote, the legislature undermines confidence in government, he said.

Republicans have been pushing gun rights as an emotional issue to use against Democratic candidates. But concealed guns are bad public policy, Elkins said. They degrade the quality of public life by making it less safe.

"They are all about an individual saying his rights are elevated above the common good," Elkins said. "It says, `We don't trust the police. We don't trust government. The only person I can trust is me.' "

Elkins pointed to the shooting at a factory Tuesday night in Jefferson City. A worker concealed a handgun to get it into a factory and then opened fire, killing three people and wounding five others.

The man had no criminal record. He obtained the gun legally. And the police followed procedures in approving his purchase of the gun.

"Everything was done correctly, yet an obviously disturbed person got a high-quality gun and killed people," Elkins said.

But Crawford and Jamison said the Jefferson City shooting showed the need for a concealed carry law. Police can't respond fast enough in such a situation, but other workers could have stopped him if they had been armed, Crawford said.

Jamison noted that the man was stopped after exchanging gunfire with police officers.

"The first person with a gun who ran into him, stopped him," Jamison said. "If a civilian had had a gun, he would have been stopped earlier."

Holden rejected that argument. He noted the adage "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing." Police officers undergo hundreds of hours of training and still have difficulty hitting their target while under extreme stress.

"What we need to do is invest in law enforcement and community policing," Holden said. "Most people won't have the training to defend themselves... I have two boys that I take to Little League and soccer games. Do you want fans carrying guns to these games? That's not the direction our state ought to be moving."

The concealed guns bill is HB349.