On May 13 Missouri lawmakers ignored the campaign blitz by Michael Bloomberg-funded Everytown for Gun Safety and sent permitless concealed carry to Govenor Jay Nixon’s (D) desk.
Missouri lawmakers also passed “Stand Your Ground”–a self-defense enhancement–and sent that to Governor Nixon as well.
According to the Springfield News-Leader, Representative Eric Burlison (R-Springfield) has been pushing permitless concealed carry “for several years.” His argument is simply that the Second Amendment is a sufficient carry permit, and requiring citizens to get a government document in order to carry only hinders their ability to exercise a God-given freedom.
The legislation passed the Missouri Senate by a vote of 24-8 and the House by a vote of 114-36. These margins are great enough that the Republicans could possibly override Governor Nixon’s veto should he stand with Democrat Party loyalists and reject expansions of self-defense for Missourians.
Breitbart News previously reported that Everytown for Gun Safety was running ads in Missouri intimating that more criminals would carry guns if the permitting process were taken out of their way. The suggestion that criminals would even apply for a permit in order carry a gun for the purposes of committing a crime failed to resonate.
If Nixon signs permitless carry, Missouri will join Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Montana, Vermont, Wyoming, and West Virginia as states that recognize the Second Amendment as a carry permit.
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.