JEFFERSON CITY – State Sen. Ron Richard, R-Joplin, issued the following statement in regards to the failed veto override attempt of House Bill 436 during the annual veto session held yesterday:

“I have always been an unwavering advocate of our Second Amendment rights. I started my legislative career by supporting the veto override on the right to conceal and carry, and a bill protecting the manufacturing, distribution and sale of firearms. As Speaker of the House, I supported the passage of the Castle Doctrine. During my tenure as a legislator, I voted in favor of the Hunting Heritage Act, and other legislation that appealed the permit to acquire a pistol, lowered the conceal and carry age to 21 and allowed state employees to keep guns in their vehicles during working hours.

This year, we passed three gun bills in the Missouri Senate. We protected state employees’ right to have a gun in their car on state property, passed legislation to allow schools to teach the Eddie Eagle Education Program or a similar gun safety course, and protected CCW privacy rights by moving the CCW permits from Department of Revenue to the local sheriff’s office.

As I have stated previously, I took an oath to protect and uphold the U.S. and Missouri constitutions. Over the past few weeks, law enforcement officials, newspapers, and others have brought real concerns regarding some flawed language and the constitutionality of House Bill 436.

Some of the concerns brought to my attention that included school teachers (armed and trained) would be allowed to hold a student for up to four hours without notifying a parent for any school policy violations. This means a child could be held for being tardy, having a cell phone, or violating any other policy printed in the school handbook. You can find this in section 166.665.

A second concern was that criminals could possibly sue a police officer who acts in good faith in the official performance of his or her duty. The possible costs of these lawsuits could bankrupt our hard-working public servants. You can find this in section 1.230.7.

I am also very concerned about state law enforcement officials being able to work with federal law enforcement officials in drug task forces, illegal immigration issues, terrorist threats and other important law enforcement duties. The new law would allow for law enforcement officials to be arrested. You can find this in section 1.230.6.

One of my final concerns is infringing on our First Amendment rights. The bill states a person or entity cannot print for distribution a firearms owner’s name. This has a penalty of up to a year in jail. This part not only affects newspapers, but could also affect printing of pamphlets, announcements, brochures, private citizens, organizations, non-for-profits and other business entities. You can find this in section 571.011.

I am currently drafting legislation that addresses these concerns and it will be available for review in the next 60 days. This legislation will truly protect the First and Second amendments and not hinder law enforcement’s ability to do their job.”