Letter to the Editor:

HB 1708 is one, like others, introduced in the Missouri House and Senate that would allow individuals with conceal and carry permits to carry firearms on public transit buses, vans, trains and other spaces owned and operated by public transit providers. As in the years passed, SMTS, Inc. – Missouri’s second largest rural transit provider – strongly opposes this measure.

Rural public transit provides a safe environment for the state’s elderly, underprivileged and disabled populations to access jobs, medical care, goods and services to meet everyday needs. The passage of legislation would greatly impact these individuals’ mobility and quality of life, as public transit as we know it will not exist.

This is due to the fact that a majority of SMTS Inc.’s service contracts strictly prohibit the transport of firearms on its vehicles, a covenant we are obligated to adhere to. Without doing so, local funding would be jeopardized. Without local funding we cannot make the needed match to obtain federal funds. Without funding, we cannot operate.

Just as guns are not allowed on Amtrak or airplanes, they should not be allowed on transit. The risk involved is unthinkable, considering an accidental discharge or even a planned event that could take place in the closed environment.

We urge legislators and the community at-large to support transit providers across the state and the Missouri Public Transit Association by not allowing these bills to move forward. It’s critical.

 

Denny Ward, the executive director of the Southeast Missouri Transportation

Service, Inc. and a board member of the Missouri Public Transit Association