Bill Text: MO HB1428 | 2012 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Revises the crime of unlawful use of weapons and authorizes the revocation of a concealed carry endorsement when the holder is convicted of committing a felony while in the possession of a firearm

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-03-21 - Referred: General Laws (H) [HB1428 Detail]

Download: Missouri-2012-HB1428-Introduced.html

SECOND REGULAR SESSION

HOUSE BILL NO. 1428

96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY


 

 

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES KRATKY (Sponsor), ANDERS, SMITH (71), SCHUPP, JONES (63), McDONALD, PACE AND WALTON GRAY (Co-sponsors).

4724L.01I                                                                                                                                                  D. ADAM CRUMBLISS, Chief Clerk


 

AN ACT

To repeal sections 571.030 and 571.101, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof three new sections relating to unlawful use of a weapon, with penalty provisions.




Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:


            Section A. Sections 571.030 and 571.101, RSMo, are repealed and three new sections enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as sections 571.030, 571.101, and 571.106, to read as follows:

            571.030. 1. A person commits the crime of unlawful use of weapons if he or she knowingly:

            (1) Carries concealed upon or about his or her person a knife, a firearm, a blackjack or any other weapon readily capable of lethal use; or

            (2) Sets a spring gun; or

            (3) Discharges or shoots a firearm into a dwelling house, a railroad train, boat, aircraft, or motor vehicle as defined in section 302.010, or any building or structure used for the assembling of people; or

            (4) Exhibits, in the presence of one or more persons, any weapon readily capable of lethal use in an angry or threatening manner; or

            (5) Has a firearm or projectile weapon readily capable of lethal use on his or her person, while he or she is intoxicated, and handles or otherwise uses such firearm or projectile weapon in either a negligent or unlawful manner or discharges such firearm or projectile weapon unless acting in self-defense;

            (6) Discharges a firearm within one hundred yards of any occupied schoolhouse, courthouse, or church building; or

            (7) Discharges or shoots a firearm at a mark, at any object, or at random, on, along or across a public highway or discharges or shoots a firearm into any outbuilding; or

            (8) Carries a firearm or any other weapon readily capable of lethal use into any church or place where people have assembled for worship, or into any election precinct on any election day, or into any building owned or occupied by any agency of the federal government, state government, or political subdivision thereof; or

            (9) Discharges or shoots a firearm at or from a motor vehicle, as defined in section 301.010, discharges or shoots a firearm at any person, or at any other motor vehicle, or at any building or habitable structure, unless the person was lawfully acting in self-defense; or

            (10) Carries a firearm, whether loaded or unloaded, or any other weapon readily capable of lethal use into any school, onto any school bus, or onto the premises of any function or activity sponsored or sanctioned by school officials or the district school board; or

            (11) Commits a felony offense while in possession of an otherwise lawfully concealed firearm, regardless of whether the firearm was used in the commission of the felony offense.

            2. Subdivisions (1), (8), and (10) of subsection 1 of this section shall not apply to the persons described in this subsection, regardless of whether such uses are reasonably associated with or are necessary to the fulfillment of such person's official duties except as otherwise provided in this subsection. Subdivisions (3), (4), (6), (7), and (9) of subsection 1 of this section shall not apply to or affect any of the following persons, when such uses are reasonably associated with or are necessary to the fulfillment of such person's official duties, except as otherwise provided in this subsection:

            (1) All state, county and municipal peace officers who have completed the training required by the police officer standards and training commission pursuant to sections 590.030 to 590.050 and who possess the duty and power of arrest for violation of the general criminal laws of the state or for violation of ordinances of counties or municipalities of the state, whether such officers are on or off duty, and whether such officers are within or outside of the law enforcement agency's jurisdiction, or all qualified retired peace officers, as defined in subsection 11 of this section, and who carry the identification defined in subsection 12 of this section, or any person summoned by such officers to assist in making arrests or preserving the peace while actually engaged in assisting such officer;

            (2) Wardens, superintendents and keepers of prisons, penitentiaries, jails and other institutions for the detention of persons accused or convicted of crime;

            (3) Members of the armed forces or national guard while performing their official duty;

            (4) Those persons vested by article V, section 1 of the Constitution of Missouri with the judicial power of the state and those persons vested by Article III of the Constitution of the United States with the judicial power of the United States, the members of the federal judiciary;

            (5) Any person whose bona fide duty is to execute process, civil or criminal;

            (6) Any federal probation officer or federal flight deck officer as defined under the federal flight deck officer program, 49 U.S.C. Section 44921 regardless of whether such officers are on duty, or within the law enforcement agency's jurisdiction;

            (7) Any state probation or parole officer, including supervisors and members of the board of probation and parole;

            (8) Any corporate security advisor meeting the definition and fulfilling the requirements of the regulations established by the board of police commissioners under section 84.340;

            (9) Any coroner, deputy coroner, medical examiner, or assistant medical examiner;

            (10) Any prosecuting attorney or assistant prosecuting attorney or any circuit attorney or assistant circuit attorney who has completed the firearms safety training course required under subsection 2 of section 571.111; and

            (11) Any member of a fire department or fire protection district who is employed on a full-time basis as a fire investigator and who has a valid concealed carry endorsement under section 571.111 when such uses are reasonably associated with or are necessary to the fulfillment of such person's official duties.

            3. Subdivisions (1), (5), (8), and (10) of subsection 1 of this section do not apply when the actor is transporting such weapons in a nonfunctioning state or in an unloaded state when ammunition is not readily accessible or when such weapons are not readily accessible. Subdivision (1) of subsection 1 of this section does not apply to any person twenty-one years of age or older transporting a concealable firearm in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, so long as such concealable firearm is otherwise lawfully possessed, nor when the actor is also in possession of an exposed firearm or projectile weapon for the lawful pursuit of game, or is in his or her dwelling unit or upon premises over which the actor has possession, authority or control, or is traveling in a continuous journey peaceably through this state. Subdivision (10) of subsection 1 of this section does not apply if the firearm is otherwise lawfully possessed by a person while traversing school premises for the purposes of transporting a student to or from school, or possessed by an adult for the purposes of facilitation of a school-sanctioned firearm-related event or club event.

            4. Subdivisions (1), (8), and (10) of subsection 1 of this section shall not apply to any person who has a valid concealed carry endorsement issued pursuant to sections 571.101 to 571.121 or a valid permit or endorsement to carry concealed firearms issued by another state or political subdivision of another state.

            5. Subdivisions (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), and (10) of subsection 1 of this section shall not apply to persons who are engaged in a lawful act of defense pursuant to section 563.031.

            6. Nothing in this section shall make it unlawful for a student to actually participate in school-sanctioned gun safety courses, student military or ROTC courses, or other school-sponsored or club-sponsored firearm-related events, provided the student does not carry a firearm or other weapon readily capable of lethal use into any school, onto any school bus, or onto the premises of any other function or activity sponsored or sanctioned by school officials or the district school board.

            7. Unlawful use of weapons is a class D felony unless committed pursuant to subdivision (6), (7), or (8) of subsection 1 of this section, in which cases it is a class B misdemeanor, or subdivision (5) or (10) of subsection 1 of this section, in which case it is a class A misdemeanor if the firearm is unloaded and a class D felony if the firearm is loaded, or subdivision (9) of subsection 1 of this section, in which case it is a class B felony, except that if the violation of subdivision (9) of subsection 1 of this section results in injury or death to another person, it is a class A felony.

            8. Violations of subdivision (9) of subsection 1 of this section shall be punished as follows:

            (1) For the first violation a person shall be sentenced to the maximum authorized term of imprisonment for a class B felony;

            (2) For any violation by a prior offender as defined in section 558.016, a person shall be sentenced to the maximum authorized term of imprisonment for a class B felony without the possibility of parole, probation or conditional release for a term of ten years;

            (3) For any violation by a persistent offender as defined in section 558.016, a person shall be sentenced to the maximum authorized term of imprisonment for a class B felony without the possibility of parole, probation, or conditional release;

            (4) For any violation which results in injury or death to another person, a person shall be sentenced to an authorized disposition for a class A felony.

            9. Any person knowingly aiding or abetting any other person in the violation of subdivision (9) of subsection 1 of this section shall be subject to the same penalty as that prescribed by this section for violations by other persons.

            10. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person who pleads guilty to or is found guilty of a felony violation of subsection 1 of this section shall receive a suspended imposition of sentence if such person has previously received a suspended imposition of sentence for any other firearms- or weapons-related felony offense.

            11. As used in this section "qualified retired peace officer" means an individual who:

            (1) Retired in good standing from service with a public agency as a peace officer, other than for reasons of mental instability;

            (2) Before such retirement, was authorized by law to engage in or supervise the prevention, detection, investigation, or prosecution of, or the incarceration of any person for, any violation of law, and had statutory powers of arrest;

            (3) Before such retirement, was regularly employed as a peace officer for an aggregate of fifteen years or more, or retired from service with such agency, after completing any applicable probationary period of such service, due to a service-connected disability, as determined by such agency;

            (4) Has a nonforfeitable right to benefits under the retirement plan of the agency if such a plan is available;

            (5) During the most recent twelve-month period, has met, at the expense of the individual, the standards for training and qualification for active peace officers to carry firearms;

            (6) Is not under the influence of alcohol or another intoxicating or hallucinatory drug or substance; and

            (7) Is not prohibited by federal law from receiving a firearm.

            12. The identification required by subdivision (1) of subsection 2 of this section is:

            (1) A photographic identification issued by the agency from which the individual retired from service as a peace officer that indicates that the individual has, not less recently than one year before the date the individual is carrying the concealed firearm, been tested or otherwise found by the agency to meet the standards established by the agency for training and qualification for active peace officers to carry a firearm of the same type as the concealed firearm; or

            (2) A photographic identification issued by the agency from which the individual retired from service as a peace officer; and

            (3) A certification issued by the state in which the individual resides that indicates that the individual has, not less recently than one year before the date the individual is carrying the concealed firearm, been tested or otherwise found by the state to meet the standards established by the state for training and qualification for active peace officers to carry a firearm of the same type as the concealed firearm.

            571.101. 1. All applicants for concealed carry endorsements issued pursuant to subsection 7 of this section must satisfy the requirements of sections 571.101 to 571.121. If the said applicant can show qualification as provided by sections 571.101 to 571.121, the county or city sheriff shall issue a certificate of qualification for a concealed carry endorsement. Upon receipt of such certificate, the certificate holder shall apply for a driver's license or nondriver's license with the director of revenue in order to obtain a concealed carry endorsement. Any person who has been issued a concealed carry endorsement on a driver's license or nondriver's license and such endorsement or license has not been suspended, revoked, cancelled, or denied may carry concealed firearms on or about his or her person or within a vehicle. A concealed carry endorsement shall be valid for a period of three years from the date of issuance or renewal. The concealed carry endorsement is valid throughout this state.

            2. A certificate of qualification for a concealed carry endorsement issued pursuant to subsection 7 of this section shall be issued by the sheriff or his or her designee of the county or city in which the applicant resides, if the applicant:

            (1) Is at least twenty-one years of age, is a citizen of the United States and either:

            (a) Has assumed residency in this state; or

            (b) Is a member of the armed forces stationed in Missouri, or the spouse of such member of the military;

            (2) Has not pled guilty to or entered a plea of nolo contendere or been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year under the laws of any state or of the United States other than a crime classified as a misdemeanor under the laws of any state and punishable by a term of imprisonment of one year or less that does not involve an explosive weapon, firearm, firearm silencer or gas gun;

            (3) Has not been convicted of, pled guilty to or entered a plea of nolo contendere to one or more misdemeanor offenses involving crimes of violence within a five-year period immediately preceding application for a certificate of qualification for a concealed carry endorsement or if the applicant has not been convicted of two or more misdemeanor offenses involving driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs or the possession or abuse of a controlled substance within a five-year period immediately preceding application for a certificate of qualification for a concealed carry endorsement;

            (4) Is not a fugitive from justice or currently charged in an information or indictment with the commission of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year under the laws of any state of the United States other than a crime classified as a misdemeanor under the laws of any state and punishable by a term of imprisonment of two years or less that does not involve an explosive weapon, firearm, firearm silencer, or gas gun;

            (5) Has not been discharged under dishonorable conditions from the United States armed forces;

            (6) Has not engaged in a pattern of behavior, documented in public records, that causes the sheriff to have a reasonable belief that the applicant presents a danger to himself or others;

            (7) Is not adjudged mentally incompetent at the time of application or for five years prior to application, or has not been committed to a mental health facility, as defined in section 632.005, or a similar institution located in another state following a hearing at which the defendant was represented by counsel or a representative;

            (8) Submits a completed application for a certificate of qualification as described in subsection 3 of this section;

            (9) Submits an affidavit attesting that the applicant complies with the concealed carry safety training requirement pursuant to subsections 1 and 2 of section 571.111;

            (10) Is not the respondent of a valid full order of protection which is still in effect;

            (11) Has not had his or her concealed carry endorsement permanently revoked under the provisions of section 571.106.

            3. The application for a certificate of qualification for a concealed carry endorsement issued by the sheriff of the county of the applicant's residence shall contain only the following information:

            (1) The applicant's name, address, telephone number, gender, and date and place of birth;

            (2) An affirmation that the applicant has assumed residency in Missouri or is a member of the armed forces stationed in Missouri or the spouse of such a member of the armed forces and is a citizen of the United States;

            (3) An affirmation that the applicant is at least twenty-one years of age;

            (4) An affirmation that the applicant has not pled guilty to or been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year under the laws of any state or of the United States other than a crime classified as a misdemeanor under the laws of any state and punishable by a term of imprisonment of one year or less that does not involve an explosive weapon, firearm, firearm silencer, or gas gun;

            (5) An affirmation that the applicant has not been convicted of, pled guilty to, or entered a plea of nolo contendere to one or more misdemeanor offenses involving crimes of violence within a five-year period immediately preceding application for a certificate of qualification to obtain a concealed carry endorsement or if the applicant has not been convicted of two or more misdemeanor offenses involving driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs or the possession or abuse of a controlled substance within a five-year period immediately preceding application for a certificate of qualification to obtain a concealed carry endorsement;

            (6) An affirmation that the applicant is not a fugitive from justice or currently charged in an information or indictment with the commission of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year under the laws of any state or of the United States other than a crime classified as a misdemeanor under the laws of any state and punishable by a term of imprisonment of two years or less that does not involve an explosive weapon, firearm, firearm silencer or gas gun;

            (7) An affirmation that the applicant has not been discharged under dishonorable conditions from the United States armed forces;

            (8) An affirmation that the applicant is not adjudged mentally incompetent at the time of application or for five years prior to application, or has not been committed to a mental health facility, as defined in section 632.005, or a similar institution located in another state, except that a person whose release or discharge from a facility in this state pursuant to chapter 632, or a similar discharge from a facility in another state, occurred more than five years ago without subsequent recommitment may apply;

            (9) An affirmation that the applicant has received firearms safety training that meets the standards of applicant firearms safety training defined in subsection 1 or 2 of section 571.111;

            (10) An affirmation that the applicant, to the applicant's best knowledge and belief, is not the respondent of a valid full order of protection which is still in effect; and

            (11) A conspicuous warning that false statements made by the applicant will result in prosecution for perjury pursuant to the laws of the state of Missouri.

            4. An application for a certificate of qualification for a concealed carry endorsement shall be made to the sheriff of the county or any city not within a county in which the applicant resides. An application shall be filed in writing, signed under oath and under the penalties of perjury, and shall state whether the applicant complies with each of the requirements specified in subsection 2 of this section. In addition to the completed application, the applicant for a certificate of qualification for a concealed carry endorsement must also submit the following:

            (1) A photocopy of a firearms safety training certificate of completion or other evidence of completion of a firearms safety training course that meets the standards established in subsection 1 or 2 of section 571.111; and

            (2) A nonrefundable certificate of qualification fee as provided by subsection 10 or 11 of this section.

            5. Before an application for a certificate of qualification for a concealed carry endorsement is approved, the sheriff shall make only such inquiries as he or she deems necessary into the accuracy of the statements made in the application. The sheriff may require that the applicant display a Missouri driver's license or nondriver's license or military identification and orders showing the person being stationed in Missouri. In order to determine the applicant's suitability for a certificate of qualification for a concealed carry endorsement, the applicant shall be fingerprinted. The sheriff shall request a criminal background check through the appropriate law enforcement agency within three working days after submission of the properly completed application for a certificate of qualification for a concealed carry endorsement. If no disqualifying record is identified by the fingerprint check at the state level, the fingerprints shall be forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a national criminal history record check. Upon receipt of the completed background check, the sheriff shall issue a certificate of qualification for a concealed carry endorsement within three working days. The sheriff shall issue the certificate within forty-five calendar days if the criminal background check has not been received, provided that the sheriff shall revoke any such certificate and endorsement within twenty-four hours of receipt of any background check that results in a disqualifying record, and shall notify the department of revenue.

            6. The sheriff may refuse to approve an application for a certificate of qualification for a concealed carry endorsement if he or she determines that any of the requirements specified in subsection 2 of this section have not been met, or if he or she has a substantial and demonstrable reason to believe that the applicant has rendered a false statement regarding any of the provisions of sections 571.101 to 571.121. If the applicant is found to be ineligible, the sheriff is required to deny the application, and notify the applicant in writing, stating the grounds for denial and informing the applicant of the right to submit, within thirty days, any additional documentation relating to the grounds of the denial. Upon receiving any additional documentation, the sheriff shall reconsider his or her decision and inform the applicant within thirty days of the result of the reconsideration. The applicant shall further be informed in writing of the right to appeal the denial pursuant to subsections 2, 3, 4, and 5 of section 571.114. After two additional reviews and denials by the sheriff, the person submitting the application shall appeal the denial pursuant to subsections 2, 3, 4, and 5 of section 571.114.

            7. If the application is approved, the sheriff shall issue a certificate of qualification for a concealed carry endorsement to the applicant within a period not to exceed three working days after his or her approval of the application. The applicant shall sign the certificate of qualification in the presence of the sheriff or his or her designee and shall within seven days of receipt of the certificate of qualification take the certificate of qualification to the department of revenue. Upon verification of the certificate of qualification and completion of a driver's license or nondriver's license application pursuant to chapter 302, the director of revenue shall issue a new driver's license or nondriver's license with an endorsement which identifies that the applicant has received a certificate of qualification to carry concealed weapons issued pursuant to sections 571.101 to 571.121 if the applicant is otherwise qualified to receive such driver's license or nondriver's license. Notwithstanding any other provision of chapter 302, a nondriver's license with a concealed carry endorsement shall expire three years from the date the certificate of qualification was issued pursuant to this section. The requirements for the director of revenue to issue a concealed carry endorsement pursuant to this subsection shall not be effective until July 1, 2004, and the certificate of qualification issued by a county sheriff pursuant to subsection 1 of this section shall allow the person issued such certificate to carry a concealed weapon pursuant to the requirements of subsection 1 of section 571.107 in lieu of the concealed carry endorsement issued by the director of revenue from October 11, 2003, until the concealed carry endorsement is issued by the director of revenue on or after July 1, 2004, unless such certificate of qualification has been suspended or revoked for cause.

            8. The sheriff shall keep a record of all applications for a certificate of qualification for a concealed carry endorsement and his or her action thereon. The sheriff shall report the issuance of a certificate of qualification to the Missouri uniform law enforcement system. All information on any such certificate that is protected information on any driver's or nondriver's license shall have the same personal protection for purposes of sections 571.101 to 571.121. An applicant's status as a holder of a certificate of qualification or a concealed carry endorsement shall not be public information and shall be considered personal protected information. Any person who violates the provisions of this subsection by disclosing protected information shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

            9. Information regarding any holder of a certificate of qualification or a concealed carry endorsement is a closed record.

            10. For processing an application for a certificate of qualification for a concealed carry endorsement pursuant to sections 571.101 to 571.121, the sheriff in each county shall charge a nonrefundable fee not to exceed one hundred dollars which shall be paid to the treasury of the county to the credit of the sheriff's revolving fund.

            11. For processing a renewal for a certificate of qualification for a concealed carry endorsement pursuant to sections 571.101 to 571.121, the sheriff in each county shall charge a nonrefundable fee not to exceed fifty dollars which shall be paid to the treasury of the county to the credit of the sheriff's revolving fund.

            12. For the purposes of sections 571.101 to 571.121, the term "sheriff" shall include the sheriff of any county or city not within a county or his or her designee and in counties of the first classification the sheriff may designate the chief of police of any city, town, or municipality within such county.

            571.106. 1. A concealed carry endorsement issued under sections 571.101 to 571.121 shall be suspended upon the filing with the court of an indictment or information charging the concealed carry endorsement holder with unlawful use of a weapon under subdivision (11) of subsection 1 of section 571.030. The court shall immediately order the suspension of such concealed carry endorsement and cause notification of the suspension to be made to the concealed carry endorsement holder.

            2. Upon notification of the suspension order, the holder of the concealed carry endorsement shall immediately surrender the driver's license or nondriver's license containing the concealed carry endorsement to the officer or other official serving the notice of suspension.

            3. The officer or other official to whom the driver's license or nondriver's license containing the concealed carry endorsement is surrendered shall issue a receipt to the licensee for the license upon a form, approved by the director of revenue, that serves as a driver's license or a nondriver's license and clearly states that the concealed carry endorsement has been suspended. The officer or other official shall then transmit the driver's license or nondriver's license containing the concealed carry endorsement to the circuit court of the county issuing the order. The concealed carry endorsement shall be suspended until the order is terminated, the charge or indictment is dismissed or until the concealed carry endorsement holder is found not guilty of the charge of violating subdivision (11) of subsection 1 of section 571.030. Upon dismissal of the charge or a finding of not guilty, the court holding the driver's license or nondriver's license containing the concealed carry endorsement shall return it to the individual. Upon a plea of guilty or a finding of guilt to the charge the concealed carry endorsement shall be permanently revoked. The court shall forward a notice of the plea or conviction along with the driver's license or nondriver's license which has the concealed carry endorsement to the department of revenue. The department of revenue shall notify the sheriff of the county which issued the certificate of qualification for a concealed carry endorsement and shall report the change in status of the concealed carry endorsement to the Missouri uniform law enforcement system. The director of revenue shall immediately remove the endorsement issued under sections 571.101 to 571.121 from the individual's driving record within three days of the receipt of the notice from the court. The director of revenue shall notify the licensee that he or she must apply for a new license under chapter 302 which does not contain such endorsement. This requirement does not affect the driving privileges of the licensee. The notice issued by the department of revenue shall be mailed to the last known address shown on the individual's driving record. The notice is deemed received three days after mailing.

feedback