Missouri legislators gear up for veto session
Legislative leaders willing to convene to consider a veto DO exist - in Missouri.
The Missouri House will convene on Wednesday, Sept. 10th at 10:00 a.m. They will vote to override their Gov. The Senate will vote sometime between 10 and 4 the following day, with the outcome in that body a bit more in question.
To override a governor's veto, a bill needs 23 votes in the Senate. On the concealed-weapons bill, 22 of the 23 Senators who originally voted for it will almost certainly vote to override the governor's veto this week (the pro-CCW majority will loose one vote to a Democrat whose original support was only for procedural reasons).
But the pro-gun forces also have a chance to pick up a vote. Majority floor leader Michael Gibbons of Kirkwood voted against the bill but as a member of his party’s leadership will face heavy pressure to switch his vote. The chamber’s leader, Sen. Peter Kinder, has predicted Gibbons will support the bill.
In 1998, when the Legislature authorized a statewide vote on the concealed weapons issue, Gibbons voted "yes." He said he supported the idea of another public vote on the issue, but during this year's debate, no referendum was attached to the bill. Now Gibbons said he was studying the issue.
"I'm trying to look and see what the facts are and intend to make my decision based on what those facts are," Gibbons said.
If Gibbons decides to vote to override, CCW supporters are back to 23 votes. But there’s another monkey wrench. One senator who voted for the bill is Jon Dolan, R-Lake St. Louis, a public affairs officer in the National Guard who recently was called to duty in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
His vote could be crucial, but it’s not clear whether Dolan will be able to attend the veto session. In a voice mail message on Wednesday, the senator said he is "doing all I can" to return. "We will give it a try, but right now I have no idea," he said, "and the first priority for me right now has to be my troops’ welfare and my mission, and I’m right in the middle of it."
In his veto message, Democrat Gov. Holden said the bill was less restrictive and required less training than the measure the people defeated. Holden also criticized a provision that makes secret the identity of those with permits to carry concealed guns.
Supporters have said Holden's veto message "was a pack of misrepresentations and lies."
"The Senate should vote to overturn the veto as a way of saying they do not approve of being lied to. Otherwise, they are just going to encourage that kind of conduct."
OFCC PAC Commentary:
The only reason we are not reading these headlines in Ohio is because Ohio's legislature and governor's office are controlled by Republicans. Ohio's Senate leaders are putting politics (not wishing to override a Republican Governor's veto) above the Constitution, public safety, and the protection of innocent citizens. This simply should not be.
Complete coverage:
Columbia (MO) Daily News
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