PA Bill Number: SB945
Title: Consolidating the act of August 9, 1955 (P.L.323, No.130), known as The County Code; and making repeals.
Description: Consolidating the act of August 9, 1955 (P.L.323, No.130), known as The County Code; and making repeals. ...
Last Action: Third consideration and final passage (199-0)
Last Action Date: Apr 17, 2024
Missouri to Become 7th State to Adopt Constitutional Carry? :: 07/01/2015
“The Missouri Supreme Court has upheld a constitutional amendment that broadened gun rights in the state,” stlpublicradio.org reports. “Voters approved Amendment 5 in August 2014 with 61 percent of the vote. It made the right to own firearms, ammunition and other accessories in the state ‘unalienable,’ and said any form of gun control should be subjected to “strict scrutiny.”
The amendment also allowed the open carrying of guns. In fact, it paves the way for Constitutional Carry in The Show Me State. Surprisingly (for some), more than a few Missouri Dems supported the Amendment, and hailed the Court’s decision. Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster, a Democrat running for governor in 2016, is on board . . .
“The court’s decision recognizes the common-sense belief of Missourians that strong support of the Second Amendment and strong support of law enforcement need not be in conflict in our state. I am grateful for the Court’s wisdom in this matter . . . We remain very hopeful that we will retain our abilities to hold gun offenders accountable to ensure the safety of all citizens in the City of St. Louis.”
Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey also lauded the court’s action. Guess who filed the suit that delayed Missouri’s acknowledgement of its citizens’ natural, civil and Constitutional protected right to keep and bear arms?
St. Louis Metropolitan Police chief Sam Dotson and Rebecca Morgan, a St. Louis-based volunteer with the gun control advocacy group Moms Demand Action, filed suit before the 2014 election alleging that the language the voters would see on the ballot was unfair because it did not accurately reflect the major changes the amendment would make to state law.
The wording in question?
Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to include a declaration that the right to keep and bear arms is a unalienable right and that the state government is obligated to uphold that right?
This Court’s ruling was not a surprise. The lawsuit was a desperate attempt to thwart the will of the electorate. The amendment could result in Missouri becoming a “constitutional carry” state, joining Alaska, Arizona, Kansas, Arkansas, Wyoming, Vermont, and very likely Maine, where a bill is awaiting Governor Le Page’s signature to become law. Missouri’s move also helps Texans looking to turn licensed open carry into Constitutional Carry in 2017.
©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
