ARMING MISSOURI TEACHERS - Kansas City Week in Review

AS MISSOURI LAWMAKERS
 
PREPARE TO RETURN TO JEFFERSON CITY TO START A
 
NEW SESSION OF THE LEGISLATURE, ONE REPUBLICAN
 
STATE LEGISLATOR HAS ALREADY FILED A BILL THAT WOULD ALLOW ANY TEACHER OR ADMINISTRATOR
 
WITH A CONCEALED WEAPONS PERMIT TO CARRY GUNS IN MISSOURI SCHOOLS.
 
REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLEY OF LAMAR IS SPONSORING THE LEGISLATION AND ALREADY HAS
 
MORE THAN 20 COSPONSORS. IT COMES IN RESPONSE TO THE MASS SHOOTING AT SANDY HOOK
 
ELEMENTARY. KELLEY IS A REPUBLICAN, AND REPUBLICANS CONTROLLED BOTH
 
HOUSES OF THE LEGISLATURE IN JEFFERSON CITY. HOW IS THE BILL BEING VIEWED,
 
DAVE? WELL, BY THE GENERAL COMMUNITY, I DON'T THINK THERE
 
IS A LOT OF ENTHUSIASM FOR IT OTHER THAN THOSE WHO SUPPORT SECOND AMOUNT RIGHTS, AND OF
 
COURSE, THIS IS THE ARGUMENT THEY'RE MAKING NOT JUST IN JEFFERSON CITY BUT ACROSS THE
 
COUNTRY AND REALLY THE ARGUMENT THAT THE NRA MADE OR A SIMILAR ARGUMENT TO WHAT THE NATIONAL
 
RIFLE ASSOCIATION MADE WHICH IS, IN ESSENCE, THE WAY TO PREVENT THESE TRAGEDIES IS TO ARM
 
SOMEONE AT THE SCHOOL, A ETCH TOOER, GUARD, SOME SORT OF -- A TEACHER, GUARD, SOME SORT OF
 
PERSON IN THOUGHT. MY GUESS IS WE'RE GOING TO BATTLE THIS OUT SAY THE -- IN
 
STATE AFTER STATE AND WASHINGTON. I'VE BEEN MAKING SOME CALLS
 
TO LEGISLATORS THIS WEEK, THE OPENING OF THE MISSOURI LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
 
HONESTLY, PEOPLE DON'T REALLY EXPECT THIS TO GET A LOT OF TRACTION.
 
THE HOUSE SPEAKER AND MAJORITY LEADER, WELL,
 
THEY SIGNED ON TO BURN-ISH THEIR NRA CREDENTIALS
 
AND EVERYTHING. THEY HAVE A LOT TO DO, AND THEY KNOW IT.
 
I DON'T THINK ANYBODY IS REALLY SPOILING FOR A FIGHT OVER GUNS THIS YEAR.
 
ESPECIALLY BECAUSE GOVERNOR NIXON HAS ALREADY SAID HE WOULD VETO ANY KIND OF BILL LIKE.
 
THIS THERE'S PROBABLY NOT ENOUGH VOTES TO OVERRIDE IT. I THINK THEY'RE JUST GOING TO
 
LET IT SIT IN COMMITTEE SOMEWHERE. BUT I THOUGHT REPUBLICANS NOW
 
IN THE MISSOURI LEGISLATURE HAVE, AS A RESULT OF THIS LAST ELECTION, ENOUGH MEMBERS TO
 
OVERRIDE A GUBERNATORIAL --. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE ALWAYS GOING TO BAN TOGETHER ON
 
EVERY ISSUE. BILL. THERE IS A SCHOOL
 
SUPERINTENDENT IN THE SMALL TOWN OF TEXAS THAT CLAIMS HE'S GOT IT FIGURED OUT.
 
HIS METHOD IS THE TEACHERS THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH THE NECESSARY TRAINING, GOT THE CONCEALED
 
WEAPON REGISTRATION, THEY CAN CARRY GUNS, AND THEY HAVE FUNGIBLE BULLETS THAT WILL
 
PENETRATE SOFT TISSUE AND DISINTEGRATE ON SOLID TISSUE. HE SAYS IT WORKS WELL.
 
HERE'S MY PROBLEM WITH THE BILL. THIS BILL IS ESSENTIALLY AN
 
AMENDMENT TO THE CONCEALED CARRY BILL THAT'S ALREADY LAW HERE IN MISSOURI.
 
IT DOESN'T ALLOW A PARENT TO KNOW WHETHER A TEACHER THAT IS IN HER CHILD'S CLASSROOM IS
 
CARRYING A WEAPON, WHETHER THE PRINCIPAL OR AN ADMINISTRATOR. IF I'M A PARENT AND THERE IS A
 
TEACHER IN MY KID'S CLASS THAT HAS A GONE, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO KNOW.
 
I WANT TO KNOW IF THAT TEACHER HAS HAD A MENTAL HEALTH SCREENING WITHIN THE PAST SIX
 
MONTHS, ADMINISTRATORS, TOO. IT DOESN'T GIVE PARENTS THAT RIGHT.
 
THAT'S MY BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH THIS BILL. UNTIL THAT IS ADDRESSED, I DON'T
 
THINK ANYBODY SHOULD BE SUPPORTING IT. IT'S A KNEE JERK REACTION THAT
 
DOESN'T GIVE PARENTS A LOT OF RIGHT TO KNOW WHO IS CARRYING A GUN IN THEIR CHILD'S SCHOOL.
 
CAN I SAY QUICKLY THAT I THINK BASH IS RIGHT THAT IT PROBABLY SITS ON A DESK
 
SOMEWHERE ELSE FOR LEGISLATORS SPEND THE FIRST
 
SIX WEEKS OF ANY LEGISLATION TAKING A CLOSE LOOK
 
AT SOCIAL ISSUES LIKE ABORTION, GUN CONTROL, CONCEAL
 
CARRY, THAT TYPE OF THING, BECAUSE THE REAL
 
QUESTIONS OF THE BUDGET AND SPENDING ARE OFTEN PUSHED OFFER INTO THE LAST WEEKS OF THE
 
SESSION, SO THERE IS CHANCE THIS WILL COME UP EARLY AND BE DEBATED.