Concealed-carry restrictions remain in Missouri despite new state law

Missouri still has restrictions on where people can carry concealed weapons, despite lawmakers’ override of Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of a gun bill last week.

The Republican-majority General Assembly approved a new law last week that allows people to carry concealed weapons without a permit as of Jan. 1, 2017.

But the law doesn’t overturn existing state and local restrictions, according to local law-enforcement officials.

The city of Cape Girardeau, like a number of other communities in the state, has a municipal ordinance that requires anyone wanting to open carry a firearm to obtain a concealed-weapon permit from their respective county sheriff’s department.

Cape Girardeau police chief Wes Blair said that restriction remains in place in Cape Girardeau.

City ordinance states any person “who is open carrying a firearm shall be required to have a valid concealed carry endorsement or permit from this state, or a permit from another state that is recognized by this state, in his or her possession at all times.”

The person must display his or her permit upon demand of a law-enforcement officer, the ordinance states.

Cape Girardeau County Sheriff John Jordan said there are no such restrictions on open carry of weapons in Jackson or the rest of the county.

He said confusion persists over how the state law might affect local gun laws.

“It may have to be settled in court,” the sheriff said.

Blair and Jordan said under existing state law, the general public is barred from carrying concealed weapons in certain places. The new law doesn’t change that.

The ban extends to police stations, jails, polling places, meetings, government buildings, bars without consent, airports, schools, amusement parks, hospitals, sports arenas with seating for more than 5,000 people and private or public places where posted.

Even with the new law, Missourians will need to obtain concealed-carry permits to legally carry guns when traveling in most other states, Jordan said.

“Constitutional (right to) carry is recognized in only 11 states,” he said.

Blair advised gun owners to educate themselves about state and local restrictions.

Under the permit system, gun owners had to obtain a minimum of eight hours of personal firearms safety training to be allowed to legally carry a concealed weapon in Missouri.

Without the permit requirement, gun owners will be able to carry concealed weapons without training.

Blair and Jordan expressed concern about the elimination of the firearms-training requirement, expressing hope lawmakers will revisit that issue next year.

Both said the training involves more than just learning how to load and shoot.

Blair said it also educates gun owners about “when you can or can’t use your gun.”

Blair said the new law is “confusing for everybody.”

The police chief said, “I am one of the biggest gun supporters you can find, but you need to apply some common sense.”

Jordan said gun owners need to know what constitutes legal use of weapons in combating assailants.

“You have to be right if you take someone’s life,” he said.

Even if a legal gun owner is not charged in connection with a shooting incident, he or she still could face a civil suit from the aggrieved party, Jordan said.

The sheriff added, “I think the training is a good element to have.”

The new law doesn’t do away with the permit system entirely, Jordan said. Sheriff’s departments will continue to issue permits to those who wish to have them.

People who are 19 years old or older can apply for the concealed-carry permits. Since the initial concealed-carry law went into effect more than a decade ago, the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Department has issued more than 9,500 permits, according to Jordan.

The cost for a permit is $80 in Cape Girardeau County. Some counties charge $100 for a permit, he said.

The permit is valid for five years, after which it can be renewed every five years.

Jordan estimated his department has denied permits to about half a dozen applicants each year.

In many cases, they were denied because of felony convictions, the sheriff said.

Under the new law, applicants can seek lifetime concealed-carry permits that cost $500.

But such permits will not be valid outside of Missouri.

Jordan said Missouri’s new, no-permit law is “a little bit like Swiss cheese. It has all kinds of holes in it.”

mbliss@semissourian.com

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