KC Council balks at letting drunk people carry guns

The Kansas City Council voted 7 to 6 Thursday against a measure to make city law conform to Missouri law when it comes to intoxicated people carrying a gun.

Kansas City currently forbids drunk people from carrying a firearm. The city attorney said the city needs to change its law to mirror state law, which does not prohibit an intoxicated person from carrying a gun unless it is discharged negligently. City laws cannot be enforced if they are more restrictive than state law.

Six council members cast reluctant yes votes, saying they needed to follow the legal advice. But Mayor Sly James and six of his colleagues said they could not support adopting what they saw as bad state law.

This story was originally published March 6, 2014 at 7:07 PM with the headline "KC Council balks at letting drunk people carry guns."