JEFFERSON CITY — Just two days after a man was shot and killed on a busy downtown ºüÀêÊÓƵ street, Republicans in the Missouri Legislature again moved to make it easier for people to buy guns.
Under legislation sponsored by Sen. Rick Brattin, R-Harrisonville, sales of firearms and ammunition made in Missouri would be exempt from all taxes.
The measure, which had failed to gain traction in the past three years despite Missouri’s reputation as having some of the nation’s most permissive firearms laws, was given preliminary approval on a 21-8 vote.
The proposal also would provide a tax credit for those selling firearms and ammunition to offset federal excise taxes they pay.
“Levying these taxes upon a constitutional right is one that we need to definitely protect. Taxation is a hindrance limiting the ability of people to exercise that right,†Brattin said.
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Democrats panned the proposal as yet another example of Republicans who control state government backing legislation that puts more guns on the street. In January, for example, Missouri’s Republican-controlled House rejected a proposal to limit minors from carrying weapons in public.
“You want to keep making easier for people to get guns,†said Sen. Karla May, D-ºüÀêÊÓƵ. “The only thing a gun can do is take a life.â€
Although Democrats opposed the underlying legislation, Sen. Lauren Arthur, D-Kansas City, tacked on an amendment that would exempt diapers from sales taxes. Republican Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, added a provision to cut the state’s 1% tax on grocery items.
“A great bill just got much, much better,†Brattin said.
According to a nonpartisan legislative analysis, the tax cut on gun purchases could result in a $94.9 million cut in revenue to local governments and a $78 million reduction in state revenue.
The proposal was debated against the backdrop of police in ºüÀêÊÓƵ charging Deshawn Thomas, 23, in connection with the fatal shooting of a man on Tucker Boulevard Monday morning.
Witnesses told investigators the suspect killed the man after a fight near the Shell gas station in the 700 block of North Tucker.
The victim, identified Tuesday as David Saldana, was found on the sidewalk shortly after 10 a.m. Monday in front of The Globe Building near Tucker and Convention Plaza.
In Kansas City, three city police officers were shot and injured while executing a search warrant on Tuesday night.
Arthur suggested Brattin was insensitive to the high rates of gun violence in the state’s urban areas and the effects of gun violence on residents.
Brattin said there are other factors that have driven up crime, including problems in the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Circuit Attorney’s office. The measure came as members of the House were debating a state takeover of the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Police Department over concerns about crime in the city.
Brattin acknowledged seeing a video of the ºüÀêÊÓƵ incident, which circulated on social media after the shooting.
“He literally executes him on the side of the road,†Brattin said.
The bill needs one more vote in the Senate before it can be heard in the House.
The legislation is .