“But allowing people that have already been denied a hide carry permit to carry a concealed weapon challenges common sense and threatens all our safety”.
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Another high profile bill that was vetoed and then overridden was legislation which would require a photo ID in order to vote.
After shutting down debate Wednesday, the Senate voted to override the governor’s veto on a 24-6 party line vote.
In vetoing the bill in July, Nixon said the measure struck an extreme blow to sensible safeguards against gun violence. Governor Jay Nixon had vetoed Senate Bill 656 arguing the original hide and carry law was a successful bi-partisan compromise.
The votes occurred as many lawmakers are campaigning for re-election in November.
“I think a lot of the things that we’ve done today will resonate in the election in a very positive way”, House Speaker Todd Richardson said.
The House voted 115-41 Wednesday to override the photo ID veto.
Democrats asserted it could put racial minorities at a greater risk of being fatally shot.
“The basis of this whole bill is that it allows law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their families”, Republican sponsor Sen.
The proposal allows a person legally able to possess a firearm to carry it concealed anywhere that isn’t already prohibited by law and was approved by veto-proof margins in the House and Senate earlier this year. 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. The NRA says 30 states have laws or court precedents stating people have no duty to retreat from a threat anywhere they are lawfully present.
And in doing so, they made our state the first new Stand Your Ground state since the death of Trayvon Martin.
It also expands the “castle doctrine” by allowing invited guests such as baby sitters to use deadly force if confronted in homes.
Courts in recent months have blocked voter ID laws passed in several states by Republican-led legislatures after civil rights groups argued the measures were discriminatory against poor and minority voters. That is necessary because the Missouri Supreme Court ruled 10 years ago that such a statute violated the existing state constitution.
Voters without a photo ID can still vote if they sign an affidavit swearing to not having that type of identification.
Also closely watched is a vetoed bill that would require voters to show photo identification at the polls, with some exceptions.
The bill would take effect in 2017 if voters in November pass a state constitutional amendment in support of the law.
House sponsor Jason Alferman, R-Hermann, contended that the photo-ID requirement would help guard against vote fraud.
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Rep. Kim Gardner, a St. Louis Democrat, said the bill sets up a “perfect storm” where the legal standard for using deadly force is lowered and firearm training is eliminated.
