Concealed carry will remain off-limits on public transportation in Missouri for at least another year after Republican senators ended their legislation two days earlier than mandated on Wednesday. The early adjournment was the result of a rarely-used parliamentary move meant to cut off debate on two bills dealing with voter-approved referendums on abortion and paid sick leave.
It was the 5th year in a row the Senate was unable to make it to the 6 p.m. Friday constitutional deadline for the session to adjourn. Even the House decided to adjourn early, announcing that it would work on bills Thursday then head home for the year.
It marks the first time the House has not worked on the legislative session’s final day since a fixed adjournment date was set in 1952.
House Speaker Jon Patterson, a Lee’s Summit Republican, said despite the Wednesday meltdown, the Senate actually functioned much better than any year since he joined the legislature.
“With the Senate, you just have to keep your expectations in check,” he said. “But I’m actually very happy with the way things went. You can’t always end the way you want.”
After years of the Senate’s discord being caused by internal GOP squabbles, Republican leaders celebrated soon after the early adjournment Wednesday by touting party unity and a host of big-ticket accomplishments.
They pointed to legislation sent to the governor enacting state control of the St. Louis police, exempting capital gains from the income tax and pumping $50 million into a private school voucher program, among others.
“This session proved what’s possible when Republicans lead together,” said Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, a Shelbina Republican.
… Republicans cut off debate using a procedural maneuver known as “calling the previous question,” or PQ.
Used regularly in the Missouri House, it is used rarely in the Senate because the chamber has a tradition of unlimited debate and negotiations over difficult issues. Wednesday was the first time since 2020 when a PQ was invoked and the first time since 2017 when it was used during a regular session.
In addition to HB 328 failing to receive a vote in the Senate before the chamber adjourned, the legislation known as the Second Amendment Preservation Act also ended up on the cutting room floor. That’s a little less surprising to me, given the opposition by law enforcement groups across the state and the fact that a previous version of SAPA had been ruled unconstitutional by a federal appeals court, but it’s incredibly frustrating that the bill that would have allowed lawful gun owners to legally carry a firearm on public transportation appears to be dead in the water for the rest of the year.
Gov. Mike Kehoe has said he’ll call lawmakers back into session to vote on a stadium funding plan for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals, and some senators have also suggested a special session to address a $500 bill funding various construction and infrastructure projects across the state, but at this point there’s no indication that HB 328 would be brought up for a vote if and when lawmakers return to Jefferson City.
The bill repealing the prohibition on lawful carry in public transit passed the House on a 106-45 vote on April 10, but had yet to receive a vote in the Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee despite a public hearing on the measure that was held on April 22. It’s possible that even if the Senate had stayed in session until Friday the measure wouldn’t have made it to the Senate floor for a final vote, but the parliamentary move deployed on Wednesday guaranteed that it wouldn’t get to Kehoe’s desk anytime soon.
It’s ridiculous that a Second Amendment-friendly state like Missouri still deprives lawful gun owners from being able to carry on buses and light rail in places like Kansas Cit and St. Louis, and there were high hopes that this year lawmakers would finally get rid of those “gun-free zones”. The Senate president can pat herself on the back if she wants for “proving what’s possible when Republicans lead together”, but from a Second Amendment perspective she and other Senate leaders don’t have anything to be proud of, especially when those Missourians who rely on public transportation to get around continue to be denied their ability to protect themselves throughout their daily routine.
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