Mo. House backs firearm discrimination measure

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri House has advanced legislation making it illegal for employers to discriminate against current or prospective workers because they own or use guns.

The measure would forbid companies from turning people down for jobs or treating them differently because they have a concealed carry permit or have used a firearm in the past.

The House bill is sponsored by Wanda Brown, a Republican from Lincoln. She says treating workers differently because they own or use guns amounts to discrimination that violates their Second Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution.

Democrats largely opposed the bill. They said gun ownership is a voluntary choice, unlike other factors protected by anti-discrimination laws such as race or gender.

The bill must be approved once more by the House before it goes to the Senate.