Missouri Lawmakers Train With Firearms, Push Legislation To Carry Concealed Weapons In Capitol

Lawmakers in Missouri are packing heat.

The Kansas City Star reports that state legislators are taking firearms-training courses and pushing legislation that would allow them, as well as their aides and employees, to carry concealed firearms into their workplace -- the Missouri State Capitol building.

"If you stay up with your news and what's going on in the world, you know bad things happen all over the place," Rep. Jeanie Riddle, a Republican representative who sponsored the amendment to allow concealed carry permits to apply to the statehouse told The Kansas City Star. "It would be nice for us to not be a statistic."

A comprehensive firearms bill, which includes the amendment to allow Capitol employees to bring their guns to work -- after completion of a training course -- passed 125-19 earlier this week.

Opponents of the legislation complained about the GOP-led bill, particularly a proposal in the bill that would lower the minimum age for a concealed-carry permit from 23 to 21.

"I know there are a lot of people that bring weapons into the statehouse. I can't help that. It's their right and privilege under the law," Rep. Tom McDonald, a Democrat, told The Star. "But extending that to 21-year-olds and giving kids that age the privilege to carry a gun leads to bigger problems."

Comments

[gmb007]

07:32 PM on 04/04/2010

"But extending that to 21-year-olds and giving kids that age the privilege to carry a gun leads to bigger problems." Rep. Tom McDonald

But somehow, giving 18 year old military recruits guns and teaching them to kill people in the service of war profiteering is OK?

Last time I checked, 21 years old is the legal age for ALL purposes. A 21 year old is a legal ADULT just as much as a 50 year old and I would dare say, some of them surely have more maturity and insight.

Age does not signify or confer wisdom.

FOR THE RECORD: I did some research on 31 American Mass Murderers ("domestic terrorists") from 1966-2010.

Only *4* were in their 20's. (23-27 yr old)

9 were in their 30's.
11 were in their 40's.
5 were in their 50's.
1 was in his 60's.
1 was in his 80's.

Apparently, most 21 year old's don't yet have the bitterness, cynicism or expertise for these jobs.

Mr. McDonald, looks like it's the OLDER ones you gotta watch out for.

[okim5150]

04:08 PM on 04/04/2010

When somebody "goes postal" in their capitol building, maybe they will re-think this.

[Dimensio]

06:28 PM on 04/04/2010

For what reason do you anticipate such an occurrence?

[kevinw]

03:40 PM on 04/04/2010

You know what they say about the need to compensate for impotence.

[OdinsEye]

03:45 PM on 04/04/2010

A myth perpetrated by the fearful and the uneducated.

[Dimensio]

03:50 PM on 04/04/2010

To whom do you refer, and of what relevance is such a subject to the current discussion?

[Rayme]

11:07 AM on 04/04/2010

As long as the right to conceal carry is allowed for the citizens as well as the legislators I have no problem with this. It's not a GOP issue, it's a human rights issue. Everyone should be allowed to defend themselves. I did the same thing, took a gun safety class before even purchasing a gun. No one told me to do that either.

[TeamSarah4CHOICE]

01:14 AM on 04/04/2010

HAHAHA .. check out that dude with his holster on his right hip, coffee cup in his right hand, reaching with his left arm under his right arm to get his heat ... HAHAHA .. that teabagger didn't want to spill his coffee & he'll nail his foot with his heat when he pulls it out of the holster ... and HE wants permission to carry in a government building ... sheesh.

[SkyTalker]

10:35 PM on 04/03/2010

Republicans are cowards. they are the least likely to join the military, but the most likely to carry a concealed weapon even to church.

[OdinsEye]

12:37 AM on 04/04/2010

As one who did my 20 in the military, to include tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, I cna tell you that most in the military associate with the Republican party.

And I can also tell you that a very large number of the pro-Second Amendment/pro-firearm/pro-concealed carry crowd are Democrats and Independents.

[SkyTalker]

09:00 PM on 04/04/2010

Thank you for your service OdinsEye - I served under Kennedy-Johnson and most of us were democrats during that era. I should have been more specific by saying republican elected officials and radio talk show hosts are cowards - seldom if ever do they serve their country ala Dick Cheney with five deferments, and George W. Bush using Daddy to avoid Vietnam. I should also wonder why Barack Obama got more donations from military men and women than John McCain did, and McCain was a POW.

[TheSheeple]

12:35 PM on 04/04/2010

Ya, that military is chucked full of Dem Libs... That's a real knee slapper!
This site use to be full of antiwar rhetoric, now that the bl00d is on BO's hands, well..not so much.

[Gaylord P Farqua]

09:00 PM on 04/03/2010

A real man hunts like THE DICK Cheney and uses real firepower. These cowboy rigs wouldn't stand a chance against THE DICK and his shotgun at close range even without coffee cups.

[ratcityreprobate]

06:49 PM on 04/03/2010

That guy with the coffee cup in his right hand trying to draw his revolver with his left hand is going to harm himself or someone else.

[OdinsEye]

12:38 AM on 04/04/2010

He appears to be adjusting his pants.

[TeamSarah4CHOICE]

01:14 AM on 04/04/2010

He is over compensating for something.

[seattlejames]

04:46 PM on 04/03/2010

It seems republicans are perpetually afraid of something or everything and feel that packing heat will ease their paranoid minds and soothe their ruffled nerves. Instead of moving forward these people want to drag us backward. Their vision of America's future lies somewhere in the past.

[ManUTd1989]

02:57 AM on 04/04/2010

Restaurant shooting in CA killed 4 today...

is your life worth fighting for, because mine is and I'll be a monkey's uncle if I'd spend my last seconds hiding under a table waiting to be shot.

[ykk9]

12:43 PM on 04/04/2010

I second that.

[seattlejames]

04:03 PM on 04/04/2010

With an attitude like yours I'm surprised you have the nerve to look outside your window or get out of bed in the morning. You need more than a gun, you need to wrap yourself in armour. The world must be a very threatening place for you. You have my sympathies.

[darter22]

04:40 PM on 04/03/2010

How long will it be before that 911 call "man with a gun at the state house". Should the police just ignore it or risk their lives to respond to it?

[Dimensio]

07:52 PM on 04/03/2010

For what reason do you believe such a scenario to be likely?

[darter22]

09:29 PM on 04/03/2010

Reasons like these:

http://blogcritics.org/politics/article/armed-man-in-halls-of-us/

http://cbs4denver.com/local/state.capitol.shooting.2.560428.html

[docallen001]

08:32 PM on 04/03/2010

I think the police should just shoot anyone they see with a gun in the statehouse. Waiting to find out if the person is a good or bad could get the officer killed.

[Dimensio]

09:49 PM on 04/03/2010

Your proposal is wholly unreasonable, irrational and unjustifiable.

[humanbeing-rick]

04:17 PM on 04/03/2010

We need bazookas, hand grenades, and rocket launchers for hand to hand combat.
We will also need tanks, helicopters, fighter jets, missiles and bombers.
Gee, this ought to be fun!

[ManUTd1989]

03:01 AM on 04/04/2010

man i hate it when people think they have the right to make a point by disregarding the flag...

[humanbeing-rick]

04:14 PM on 04/03/2010

Just to be fair, I think we should arm the homeless and the unemployed of our nation with equivalent automatic weapons or sawed-off shotguns.
We should not allow the upper class to have an unfair advantage in battle.
Let the best men win!

[babyboomerorig]

02:05 PM on 04/03/2010

Oh, yeah.....let's open the country up to everybody being able to shoot someone because they don't like the way the other person looked at them.

Does anyone think that any of us could contain anger or frustration every second of every day so that we could be able to have a weapon at our side? I just don't think so. Humans are too emotional.

[Dimensio]

03:45 PM on 04/03/2010

"Does anyone think that any of us could contain anger or frustration every second of every day so that we could be able to have a weapon at our side? I just don't think so."

Given that millions of United States citizens are able to avoid committing or attempting to commit acts of homicide in spite of being legally permitted to carry concealed deadly weapons, you are demonstrably incorrect.

[ykk9]

12:47 PM on 04/04/2010

Don't trust yourself to act responsibly? don't buy a gun. simple.

[David Bledsoe]

01:56 PM on 04/03/2010

Here's to abunch of Members with small members trying to act bigger than they are. God Bless, hope you all shoot each other you fools.

[Berettasskeeter]

09:53 AM on 04/05/2010

You lost me. To what small members are you referring, the ladies of the legislature??
Semper fi

[olddognewtrick]

11:17 AM on 04/03/2010

I wanna see members of both the US House and Senate packing heat. New motto for congress: Cocked, Locked, and ready to Rock!