COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – Missouri’s Republican-led House on Monday passed a bill that would allow guns in churches and on public transportation.
House lawmakers voted 109-36 in favor of the proposal, which now goes to the GOP-led Senate for consideration.
Currently, people need permission from religious leaders to bring firearms into places of religious worship in Missouri.
The pending bill would allow people with concealed carry permits to bring guns in churches, synagogues and mosques, as well as public transportation.
Missouri doesn’t require a concealed carry permit for gun ownership, but having a permit allows gun owners to bring their weapons into some otherwise restricted areas in the state.
Another provision in the bill would ensure that gun stores are considered “essential” businesses, meaning the state and cities couldn’t order them closed during emergencies such as the coronavirus pandemic.
Yet another part of the bill would allow 18 year olds to get concealed carry permits, which currently are only available to people at least 19 years old or 18 year olds in the military.
The bill also would make it a felony to fire a gun in city limits, with a number of exceptions.
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