Gun Rights Amendment cleared for August ballot in Missouri

The constitutional amendment will be on the August 5 ballot. The state supreme court says it is too late for it to remove the proposed gun rights amendment from the August ballot, or to change the amendment title.  The issue will be Amendment 5, to be voted on August 5. The court says state laws does not allow individuals or issues to be placed on a ballot less than six weeks before an election, and courts have interpreted that law to also prohibit courts from modifying issues already on the ballot. Opponents of the amendment had claimed the ballot title was unfair and insufficient. Supporters of the proposal say it strengthens Second Amendment rights for Missourians and limits federal regulation of firearms in Missouri. Opponents say passage of it would limit the legislature’s own ability to regulate concealed weapons and could lead to elimination of requirements that people need state licenses to carry concealed weapons. The proposed amendment reads, “Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to include a declaration that the right to keep and bear arms is an unalienable right and that the state government is obligated to uphold that right.”