A successful veto override requires a two-thirds majority vote by members in each chamber, which is 23 votes in the Senate and 109 votes in the House. An immediate effect of the override is Missouri citizens can now carry a concealed weapon without any training whatsoever.
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Earlier on Wednesday, the state Senate voted 24-7 and the House 115-41 to override Nixon’s veto of a bill requiring voters to produce a government-issued ID instead of less official identification such as a utility bill or bank check.
Even then, the requirements wouldn’t take effect unless voters this November approve a proposed constitutional amendment, which is needed because the Missouri Supreme Court struck down a previous photo ID law in 2006 as unconstitutional.
“The legislature stood strong for the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens by overriding Gov. Nixon’s misguided veto”, said Chris Cox, executive director of NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action.
The sweeping guns legislation will allow most adults to carry concealed weapons without needing a permit.
While he also has problems with the “stand your ground” provisions, he said, “if this bill didn’t get rid of the training, I probably wouldn’t be against it”. If voters swear they don’t have photo IDs, they would still be allowed to vote by showing other forms of identification. Senator Jason Holsman (D-Kansas City) stated, “As a sportsman and a gun owner, I support the Second Amendment”. Nixon has claimed the bill will force elderly and minority voters to go through extra hoops on election day.
The measure, described by supporters as “constitutional carry”, allows people to carry hidden guns anywhere they can now carry weapons openly, effective January 1.
The wide-ranging bill would also reduce the penalty for carrying a firearm into buildings where it is not allowed from a felony to a misdemeanor and implement a so-called “stand your ground” law that says people no longer have a duty to try to retreat before using lethal force if they think their life is in danger.
The largest cost associated with the new tax breaks comes from a measure allowing cattle ranchers and other agricultural producers to deduct federal disaster aid payments from their state income taxes. Among the high-profile measures likely to be taken up this year are a pair of tort reform bills that aim to bring greater fairness and balance to Missouri’s legal system, Senate Bill 591 and Senate Bill 847.
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Rep. Kevin Engler, a Farmington Republican, said gun-control advocates have made dire predictions about every gun bill that the Missouri General Assembly has ever passed. People who choose to still get a concealed-carry permit could potentially carry their weapons into places off-limits to others and could take them to states with reciprocal agreements. But to take effect, voters on November 8 must also approve a proposed amendment to the Missouri Constitution to allow for such a law. “And that’s why this is a bad policy”, said Becky Morgan, a volunteer chapter leader with Missouri Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. But a spokeswoman for the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says its regulations don’t allow fees for missed appointments.
