Politician again introduces bill allowing guns on public transportation

[Jake]

Missouri House Republican Rep. Adam Schnelting recently re-introduced a bill that would allow gun owners to carry firearms on public transportation like buses and trains as long as they have a concealed carry permit, though this does not apply to Amtrak or any partnership involving them. They originally passed the bill, but it failed to move through the Senate. The bill has the community split, as some are in agreement that it can make public transportation safer, while others like Rep. Peter Merideth believe it may stop some people from outright using public transportation altogether or even compromise the safety of passengers.

That's not all though. If the bill does pass, it would also lower the age requirement for a concealed carry permit to 18, while it's currently 19 and up. It will also repeal the prohibition of having firearms in places of worship, though churches will be able to ban firearms if they so desire. You can read more on this news from ksmu.org.

What are your thoughts on this? I am for people being able to carry a gun on them if it's concealed. As long as they're not brandishing it and showing it off, I'd be fine with it. I'm not sure I agree with guns being in a place of worship though.

 

[Winny]

So you have to be at least 19 to carry a gun on your person, but you can own a gun at 18 in Missouri? Doesn't make sense, I get why they want to move it back to 18. Doesn't make any sense.

As for the main thing about this, I am for people being able to conceal carry a firearm. Like you said, as long as they're not flashing it around, and keep it away from sight, it shouldn't be a problem. I think this bill will pass this time around.

 

[Jake]

So you have to be at least 19 to carry a gun on your person, but you can own a gun at 18 in Missouri? Doesn't make sense, I get why they want to move it back to 18. Doesn't make any sense.

Yeah it doesn't make much sense to me. If you're going to raise it, why not raise it to like 21? Makes sense to move it back to 18 for concealed carry. I don't know why 1 year would make a difference.

As for the main thing about this, I am for people being able to conceal carry a firearm. Like you said, as long as they're not flashing it around, and keep it away from sight, it shouldn't be a problem. I think this bill will pass this time around.

Exactly. If it's hidden on their person, than we shouldn't worry. I think if some nefarious character was to bring a gun, they would find a way to do it whether they have a permit or not. So I think it's good to have that added protection from citizens in case someone bad does come around.

 

[Eric]

The bill has the community split, as some are in agreement that it can make public transportation safer, while others like Rep. Peter Merideth believe it may stop some people from outright using public transportation altogether or even compromise the safety of passengers.

This is totally not surprising...the positions here basically reflect our age-old democrat/republican differences in gun control sentiment, right? I can understand democratic opposition to concealed carry on public transportation, but the state already allows concealed carry in general, so what's the difference between people carrying on a bus versus carrying in other public places like the supermarket, etc.? Overall, no matter what your position is on second amendment rights, it seems doubtful this bill will affect safety risk compared to the status quo.

So you have to be at least 19 to carry a gun on your person, but you can own a gun at 18 in Missouri? Doesn't make sense, I get why they want to move it back to 18. Doesn't make any sense.

I guess you'd need to talk to a child psychologist about how much difference one year makes in terms of brain development. They say kids' brains continue to develop until age 25 so maybe we should take that one-year difference seriously? I mean, the whole idea behind concealed carry is that we're granting the permit holder the ability to readily use a firearm in public if, in their judgement, the need arises. If there was ever suddenly a shootout around me, I know I'd feel a lot safer knowing that the attacker was being engaged by adult concealed carriers, and not kids.

 

[Mike30]

I don't like the idea of letting kids have arms. 18-19 years old are still kids. (just observe their behavior) I believe that at 25 years old is a more adequate age to carry an arm around.

 

[Nomad]

What if the gun carried lost his mind and starts shooting? What if the gun carrier is a depressed man and pulls out the gun because someone offended him. I am against gun rights. I believe only the security personnel should be allowed to carry guns.