Governor Nixon addresses gun laws in Missouri
President Obama Tuesday called out Missouri for its gun laws, saying homicides are on the rise because the state changed its background check laws years ago.
Governor Nixon said the state is planning to do more with regard to mental health this year.
At a news conference Tuesday, he said he hadn’t had a chance to look over President Obama’s executive action on gun control, but does agree that the background checks are important.
However, other Missouri lawmakers are speaking out against the President’s gun control plans.
One of his plans to help stop gun violence is to create a more universal background check.
In his executive action speech Tuesday, President Obama called out the state of Missouri for getting rid of its permit to purchase law in 2007.
“Meanwhile since Missouri repealed a law requiring comprehensive background checks and purchase permits, gun deaths have increased to almost 50% higher than the national average. One study found unsurprisingly that criminals in Missouri now have easier access to guns.”
Before 2007, Missouri gun owners had to get a permit by first passing a background check at the sheriff’s department.
Now lawmakers said buyers just need to pass an online FBI background check in the store.
Governor Nixon said the background checks are important to keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people.
“We can all agree that criminals, terrorists, and people with mental illness shouldn’t be buying guns, specifically mental health where we have made dramatic strides forward. Over 15,000 referrals by our law enforcement partners into our mental system with our community mental health placements,” said Nixon.
However, gun control advocates said those background checks aren’t as thorough as they used to be.
ABC 17 News has talked to several gun store owners who said people can simply lie when filling out the background check forms.
Other Missouri lawmakers said the President’s gun control plan would restrict gun owners’ Second Amendment rights, and said his executive order isn’t going to end the tragedies and mass shootings that have happened across the country.
