Fortunately before I came to St. Louis I checked the carry laws. I knew that MO accepted all permits, so my MN permit would allow me to carry; but I discovered that it is a FELONY to carry on a bus. Fortunately a rural Democrat is working to correct that problem . . .
Rep. Ed Sheiffer of Troy, MO has introduced a bill to allow permit holders to lawfully carry on MetroLink (St. Louis mass transit system) trains and buses. Missouri Statue 578.305:
Bus hijacking, definition, penalty–assault with intent to commit bus hijacking, penalty, with a deadly weapon, penalty–possession and concealment of deadly weapon by passenger, penalty, exception.
states that:
Any passenger who boards a bus with a dangerous or deadly weapon or other means capable of inflicting serious bodily injury concealed upon his person or effects
is committing a felony (unfortunately your humble reporter was unable to find any definition for the term dangerous or deadly weapon leading him to wonder if his 15 EEEEEE (yes, sextuple E) shoes qualify). The statute only has exceptions for cops, security personnel carrying in thecourse and scope of their employment and people with permission of the bus owner.
The first committee vote on Rep. Sheiffer’s bill is coming up in the next week; he says that he anticipates no problems from his Republican colleagues, but his metro Dem colleagues are pressuring him to pull the bill and are stating that they will not support it. Their “logic” is that some panty-soiling-hysterics urban commuters will avoid using the metro system if they know that fellow passengers may be carrying guns.
Left unstated is why those same people aren’t avoiding the transit system now given the recent rash of assaults and robberies on the trains and buses and at some stations but hoplophobes frequently have trouble with actual logic and rational thought.