SPONSOR: Hill
COMMITTEE ACTION: Voted "Do Pass" by the Standing Committee on General Laws by a vote of 8 to 4. Voted "Do Pass" by the Standing Committee on Rules- Legislative Oversight by a vote of 7 to 2 with 1 voting Present.
This bill allows firearm owners to transport and store firearms in privately owned, locked vehicles in parking garages, parking lots, and parking spaces. Property owners, tenants, employers, and business entities are exempt from both civil and criminal liability for any occurrences involving these firearms and the entity may require firearms to be kept in a locked case and hidden from view if stored in a vehicle. An employer may ban employee firearms from vehicles owned or leased by the employer. An employer and business may ban firearms from certain limited access parking areas if storage areas for firearms are made available to the employee or customer, or if alternative parking areas are provided that are reasonably close to the business or employer.
This bill is the same as HB 2099 (2020).
PROPONENTS: Supporters say that this protects their right to carry firearms while still keeping their jobs. Employers should not be able to terminate employment because an employee exercises his or her Second Amendment rights. Proponents say that it protects individuals who work in dangerous areas and that property rights of gun owners should be most important.
Testifying for the bill were Representative Hill; Mark Johnson; Rian L Booyer; Rona Schaefer; Scott Jones, National Rifle Association; William W. Bland, Western Missouri Shooters Alliance; and Susan Myers.
OPPONENTS: Those who oppose the bill say that employers should be able to determine what they want on their own property and how best to manage the environment.
Testifying against the bill was Kendall MartÃnez-Wright.
Written testimony has been submitted for this bill. The full written testimony can be found under Testimony on the bill page on the House website.
Statutes affected: