Missouri lawmakers passed sweeping legislation to expand gun rights, doing so at the very end of their annual session Friday.
Under the measure, Missourians can now carry concealed weapons without needing a permit. The state’s “Stand Your Ground” law has also been expanded.
The Republican-led Legislature now sends the measure go to Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon, who said he will give it a “full and comprehensive review.”
“This is a significant shift from the framework we’ve used in this area to give people the lawful right to carry,” Nixon said.
But the legislation passed the legislature by such wide margins that a veto might be overridden.
In addition to not having to go through the training required to get a permit to carry a concealed gun, the state’s “castle doctrine” is expanded. This means invited guests — babysitters, for example — can use deadly force against intruders. People will also have no duty to retreat from danger in any place they are legally entitled to be present, giving Missourians a new “Stand Your Ground” right.
The measure passed the Republican-led Senate on a 24-8 party-line vote. With a little over an hour remaining before the session’s mandatory end Friday night, the House then gave it final approval, 114-36.
The Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and the Missouri chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America released an ad urging lawmakers to vote against the measure ahead of the Friday vote.
“Senate Bill 656 is embarrassing and dangerous,” St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, a member of Everytown for Gun Safety, said in a statement. “The Missouri legislature has abandoned this state. It is more concerned about the endorsement of the NRA than the safety of its citizens.” Both groups are funded in part by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
The NRA then pushed back against the ad by telling its members to take action and support the measure.
“Out-of-state billionaire and former New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has once-again launched a misinformation campaign aimed at undermining the rights of law-abiding Missourians!,” an NRA alert sent to members said. “Don’t let Bloomberg bring his big-city style gun control to Missouri!”
