By Dean Weingarten
Arizona – -(Ammoland.com)-
The Missouri omnibus firearm reform bill, SB 656, has passed the legislature on the last day of the session, May 13, 2016. It includes permitless or “Constitutional” carry. It will now go to Governor Nixon for signature or veto.
According to the NRA-ILA, SB 656 has these primary features:
- Recognize Missourians right to Constitutional/Permitless Carry where open carry is not prohibited
- Expand Missouri’s current Stand your Ground laws
- Expand Castle Doctrine protections for anyone legally allowed into your home, vehicle, business and property
- Specify that except for credit card fees incurred, no additional fee beyond $100 may be charged to process concealed carry permits and allows military members extra time to renew their permits
- Implement 10, 20 and 50 year options for non-reciprocity issued permits
- Allow components of firearm training for RTC permits to be online
Democrat Governor Nixon has not yet received the bill. He has three options. The fourth listed below does not apply because the bills are not appropriation bills.
Bills Truly Agreed To and Finally Passed are signed in open session by the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tem of the Senate. At the time of signing, any members may file written objections which are sent with the bill to the Governor. The Governor has fifteen days to act on a bill if it is sent to him during the legislative session; and forty-five days if the legislature has adjourned or has recessed for a thirty day period. The Governor has four options:
1. Sign the bill, making it become part of Missouri law. 2. Veto the bill. In this case, the bill is returned to the General Assembly where a two-thirds vote of both houses is required to override the veto.
3. Not sign the bill. Should the Governor take no action within the prescribed time, the bill goes to the Secretary of State, who then enrolls the bill as an authentic act. It then becomes law.4. Veto line-items in an appropriation bill. On appropriation bills only, the Governor may choose to veto selected items within the bill. The General Assembly may override this veto by a two-thirds majority of both houses.
Because the legislature is not in session, Governor Nixon has 45 days to decide what action he wishes to take. By my calculation, that would be the 28th or 29th of June.
SB 656 passed the House and Senate with large margins. The final vote in the House was 111 yea, 40 nay and 11 absent. In the Senate the final vote was 31 yea and 1 absent. Those are more than sufficient to override a veto if Governor Nixon choses to exercise that option.
The bill number, SB 656, may be a not so subtle message to Governor Nixon. In 2014, the legislature passed an omnibus gun reform bill, also titled SB 656. It also had 111 yea votes in the House, but only 21 yea votes in the Senate. It also passed the legislature on the last day of the session. Governor Nixon vetoed the 2014 SB 656 on July 14, 2014. On September 11, 2014, the Missouri House joined the Missouri Senate in overriding Governor Nixon’s veto.
It seems better than even odds that Missouri will be joining the permitless or “Constitutional” carry club this year. Enactment of SB 656 will increase the “Constitutional” carry club to 11, including three other states, Idaho, Mississippi and West Virginia that have passed similar legislation this year.
The other “Constitutional” carry states are Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Maine, Vermont, and Wyoming.
©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
About Dean Weingarten;
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
I am not real happy with the bill because of the possible effects of the bill. On the Constitutional carry portion of the bill the bill simply changes the definition of a criminal offense. The bill does not authorize concealed carry without a permit, it simply makes it a criminal offense is less places than it already is. It still remains a felony to carry without a permit in at least 17 places where it is not even an offense to carry with a permit. Without training most people won’t know this and the result will be the creation of… Read more »
I have a CCW permit but I worry a bit about this bill. it would allow every trigger happy “i carry because I can’ to pack without any training and no idea of the repercussions of pulling a gun in public (let alone firing one) at least require training one time with no renewal. just wondering..
Just because someone took the CCW class, that does not mean they are experts. The CCW class Is more about give me $100 then how to safely carry and use a firearm. A large portion of the people with CCW’s know nothing about guns, have only shot enough to pass the class and never actually carry one.
I agree about Nixxon!!! And i also think he will veto.. BUt we will override his veto! We will have to wait a lil bit longer but o.k. He has pulled his veto’s over what the people want and voted for too long. And to people who are against, ” this country and state is great!!” BUT WE FOUGHT TO MAKE IT SO GREAT WITH GUNS AND also gave nay sayers a voice. if they was being harmed they would be grateful for people like Rich and myself…. good day..
I bet this ole boy has had a wonderful political career with that last name !
Sounds like this Nixon character has totally forgotten who he works for, or rather is revealing that he in fact works for someone other than the people of his state. Nixon seems an obvious candidate for recall.
You don’t speak for everyone in this state. I hope it is vetoed, as do many others.
You are correct Gail, I do not “speak for everyone in this state”. However, perhaps you should reread the article. The vote in the House was 111 yea, 40 no and 11 absent. In the Senate the vote was 31 yea and 1 absent. Though I do not speak for everyone, evidently I speak for a sizeable majority. Have a nice day in our great state!
I highly doubt Jay Nixon will sign this bill and I would not be at all surprised if he vetoed it. His actions, or lack thereof, during the rioting in Ferguson spoke volumes. Fortunately for the great state of Missouri he is term limited; good riddance.