JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Three firearms-related bills are headed to the House Emerging Issues Committee, including one sponsored by Rep. Ron Hicks (R-St. Charles), which would allow concealed firearms to be carried on public transportation.
Rep. Joe Don McGaugh (R-Carrolton) has filed two bills addressing firearms, including one bill (HB 373) which would allow certain persons who have lost the right to possess firearms to have their rights restored under certain circumstances. The other bill (HB883) has been referred to the committee and would establish unlawful discharge of a firearm across a property line as an offense. The bill establishes a class C misdemeanor for an individual who knowingly discharges a firearm while hunting or target shooting that crosses a property line without written permission from the property owner.
“Thousands of Missouri landowners work hard to preserve their property and the wildlife they enjoy on that property,” McGaugh said on HB883. “This bill would protect those resources and serve as a deterrent to the dangerous practice of shooting over property that does not belong to the shooter.”
Meanwhile, freshman Lake St. Louis Republican Rep. Justin Hill is sponsoring a bill, also referred to the House Emerging Issues Committee, which would allow gun owners to transport or store their firearms in locked, privately-owned vehicles. Currently law remains unclear about whether gun owners may have their weapons in their locked car on certain properties, such as universities or some hospitals.
The Committee on Emerging Issues addresses bills relating to general or miscellaneous issues as determined by the Speaker of the House. With the new committee structure introduced this year, the committee has emerged as an expanded version of the former function of the General Laws Committee, which is now a select committee.
Sophomore Rep. Elijah Haahr (R-Springfield) is the committee chairman, which has seen (and voted do pass) bills addressing medical marijuana, draft beer, and real estate. Haahr told The Missouri Times the newly referred firearms bills can expect to be heard the week after spring break.
A bill filed by Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Springfield), HB1250, is a bill expected to be heard by the committee eventually. The bill, if passed, would allow any person to carry a concealed firearm anywhere that isn’t expressly prohibited by law. “Anyone, anywhere, anyhow,” some observers are saying. The bill is getting a loud response from gun rights enthusiasts.
Burlison is not the only lawmaker working to further loosen gun laws in Missouri, even after Missouri voters embraced an amendment to the constitution that allegedly strengthens 2nd Amendment rights.
Haahr is joined by House Republicans Rep. Gary Cross (R-Lee’s Summit), Rep. Jack Bondon (R-Belton), Rep. Mike Colona (D-St. Louis), Jim Hansen (R-Frankford), Rep. Ron Hicks (R-St. Charles), Rep. Jeremy Lafaver (D-Kansas City), Rep. Bill Lant (R-Pineville), Rep. Dave Muntzel (R-Boonville), Rep. Sharon Pace (D-St. Louis), Rep. Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia), and Rep. Anne Zerr (R-St. Charles).
Rachael Herndon was the editor at The Missouri Times and also produced This Week in Missouri Politics, published Missouri Times Magazine, and co-hosted the #MoLeg podcast. She joined The Missouri Times in 2014, returning to political reporting after working as a campaign and legislative staffer.
Rachael studied at the University of Missouri – Columbia. She lives in Jefferson City with her husband, Brandon, and their two children.
