Missouri lawmakers override gun, voter ID
vetoes
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[September 15, 2016]
By Kevin Murphy
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Reuters) - Missouri
lawmakers pushed through bills on Wednesday eliminating the need for
permits to carry concealed weapons and requiring voters to show a photo
identification before casting a ballot, overriding Democratic Governor
Jay Nixon's vetoes of the bills.
Both votes by the Republican-controlled state House and Senate reached
the two-thirds majority required to enact legislation over the
governor's veto.
The weapons bill abolished a state law requiring a permit, training and
background checks for people who want to carry a concealed weapon in the
state.
The House voted 112-41 to override Nixon's veto and the Senate voted
24-6.
Supporters of the bill said it will make the state safer by allowing
more residents to carry firearms in self-defense, while still banning
certain criminals and mentally incompetent people from having a gun.
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In vetoing the bill in July, Nixon said the measure struck an extreme
blow to sensible safeguards against gun violence.
Earlier on Wednesday, the state Senate voted 24-7 and the House 115-41
to override Nixon's veto of a bill requiring voters to produce a
government-issued ID instead of less official identification such as a
utility bill or bank check.
The bill would not take effect until 2017, after this year's
presidential election, and only if voters in November pass a state
constitutional amendment in support of the new law. That is necessary
because the Missouri Supreme Court ruled 10 years ago that such a
statute violated the existing state constitution.
Courts in recent months have blocked voter ID laws passed in several
states by Republican-led legislatures after civil rights groups argued
the measures were discriminatory against poor and minority voters.
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![](../images/091516pics/news_I17.jpg)
Handguns are seen for sale in a display case at Metro Shooting
Supplies in Bridgeton, Missouri, November 13, 2014. REUTERS/Jim
Young
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In Missouri, voters without a photo ID can still vote if they sign
an affidavit swearing that they lack any type of identification.
However, election officials can take their picture, and steps must
be taken to get a photo ID for later use, with the state covering
the cost.
Supporters of the bill said it will help prevent voter fraud.
"Why not have more certainty in the election process?" Republican
Representative Justin Alferman, the bill's main sponsor, said in a
statement before the vote.
Opponents had argued that the ID requirement places an undue burden
on young, minority and low-income voters who tend to support
Democratic candidates.
"Putting additional and unwanted barriers between citizens and their
ability to vote is wrong and detrimental to our system of government
as a whole," Nixon said in explaining his veto.
(Editing by Steve Gorman and Simon Cameron-Moore)
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