Springfield City Council moved to table its 2009 legislative priority list to allow for further discussion of two issues in the resolution. The main issue mentioned was about gun control in state parks. KSMU's Erika Brame was at the meeting last night and files this report.
It was standing room only last night at the City Council meeting, where many in attendance were there to discuss the gun-free parks proposal as a part of the 2009 legislative priority list.
This part of the legislation seeks to lobby the state of Missouri to ban concealed weapons in state parks.
Members of council moved for the bill to be tabled for further review.
The movement by council cleared the room.
Two men traveled all the way from West Plains for this meeting.
Elgar Macy and Chris Meissen are members of Missourians for Personal Safety.
Meissen says this legislation if passed could reach all the way to his home in West Plains.
"The only way they could band carrying in their parks and actually as the resolution read would be to urge the legislator to pass a ban state wide. So not only would it affect Springfield but it would affect everybody in the state," he said.
He then refers to the Concealed Carry Law of 2003.
"We worked very hard from 1992 to 2003 to get 'Conceal/Carry' passed so we'd have a way to protect ourselves in public. And when I mentioned this proposed law to my own county prosecutor earlier this week, his first reaction was, 'but that defeats the entire purpose of concealed/carry.'"
Meissen and Macy hope council will let go of the issue so they won't have to travel back to Springfield in two weeks.
"I'm hoping that this means they've decided to revise it and drop it after seeing how large a turnout it caused."
For now the bill and all its contents have been set aside for review by council.
Council did vote on and pass another bill for commercial street business owners.
The bill will allow those in the district to petition other area businesses to create a CID, which is a Community Improvement District.
If 51% of the businesses do agree, the sales tax for that area will be raised one half a cent. For KSMU News, I'm Erika Brame.