JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Judges on the Missouri Supreme Court are questioning assertions that a new state constitutional amendment means a felon can now carry guns.
The judges heard arguments Tuesday about how to interpret an amendment approved by voters in August with over 60 percent support. The measure subjects gun-control laws to strict legal scrutiny.
An attorney for a man convicted of dealing drugs in the 1980s is citing the amendment while seeking to invalidate a state law barring all felons from possessing firearms. A lower court had thrown out three felon-firearms charges against his client.
But several Supreme Court judges noted that the 2nd Amendment to the U.S Constitution and similar provisions in other states have long been interpreted to allow restrictions on felons possessing firearms.