[JURIST] During an annual session last Friday, Missouri legislators [official website] passed a bill which will allow all state citizens to carry concealed guns without permits or completed gun training. Republicans supporting the bill argued [AP report] that the law allows the people to “stand their ground” in moments of danger rather than retreat from a place they are legally entitled to be. Democrats have counter-argued, however, that the new bill will promote shootouts and cause future bloodshed. The state’s House and Senate have already approved the bill, however it must still be signed by Democratic Governor Jay Nixon [official profile]. Though Nixon commented [official statement] on the legislative session, he has yet to express his opinion regarding the gun law. Should the bill pass, Missouri will be among ten other states that have passed similar gun laws not requiring gun permits.

Gun control [JURIST backgrounder] and the Second Amendment continue to be controversial national topics, and gun awareness has risen in the wake of recent shootings across the nation. Earlier this month, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal vetoed [JURIST report] a bill that would have allowed the concealed carrying of handguns on college campuses. Last month Idaho Governor CL “Butch” Otter signed [JURIST report] a bill that made it legal throughout the state for Idaho residents over 21 years of age to carry a concealed firearm without a permit. Earlier that week Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe vetoed [JURIST report] two proposed bills that would eliminate restrictions on the possession of firearms in or around state office buildings. Also that month the West Virginia Senate voted [JURIST report] to override Governor Earl Ry Tomblin’s veto of a bill allowing civilians 21 and over to carry concealed weapons without a permit. In December the US Court of Appeals for the District of Colombia Circuit vacated [JURIST report] a lower court ruling that found that a DC gun law requiring a concealed carry permit outside of the home may violate the Constitution. In October Maine’s revised concealed carry law went into effect [JURIST report], allowing legal gun owners to carry concealed weapons without a permit. Earlier that month a federal appeals court upheld [JURIST report] Connecticut and New York gun control legislation that ban semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines.