RAYMORE, Mo. – A Raymore city councilman wants to allow officials to carry firearms to public meetings. He also wants members of the public with conceal-carry permits to have the right to carry guns in parks. Second ward councilman Jeff Cox said the goal is to increase security.
“I think that if you give as many people as much Second Amendment freedom as possible, I think that improves public safety across the board,” Cox said.
Missouri state law allows conceal-carry permit holders to carry guns into many public places. Police stations, courthouses, polling places on election days are excluded. The law allows officials to be armed during public meetings, but not people attending.
However, in Raymore, an old city ordinance bans firearms in parks and city-owned buildings.
“Raymore’s kind of like Mayberry,” said Aaron Stephenson, co-owner of McGrew’s Pub in Raymore. “(City Council is) a little bit behind and maybe it’s time for them to catch up a little bit.”
Taxpayers seem split on the issue. Some, like Stephenson, want relaxed restrictions. Others do not.
“You should be safe in city hall,” said Richard O’Keefe, who lives in Raymore. “It’d be weird to know someone’s carrying, you know, a Glock in their back pocket or something. I don’t think that it’s necessary someone should say I have the right to go into city hall with a gun. They should have the right to be safe going in and not have to have a gun.”
Cox reminds critics of the massacre in Kirkwood, Missouri in February 2008. A gunman, ignoring signs banning firearms, barged into city hall and murdered six people.
So, for Raymore, Cox believes changing city ordinance increases safety.
“The thing about conceal-carry is you don’t know if someone is carrying or not,” Cox said. “That makes criminals think twice about whether to commit a violent act.”
Raymore Mayor Juan Alonzo said he will veto Cox’s proposed ordinance changes. He believes it goes against the spirit of the Second Amendment because council members have the right to arms in meetings where others do not.
City council votes on this issue Dec. 14.
