Story Created:
Nov 17, 2009 at 10:18 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Nov 17, 2009 at 10:18 PM CDT
(AP) -- The Missouri Supreme Court has upheld a law banning people from possessing a gun while intoxicated.
The ruling allows the prosecution of a southeast Missouri man who was found unconscious in his house with a loaded gun. In 2006, John L. Richard threatened to shoot himself or to force police to do it after an argument with his wife. Richard then took an unknown amount of morphine and an antidepressant.
Missouri law makes it illegal to possess or discharge a gun while intoxicated. There are exceptions for transporting unloaded guns or when the firearm is needed for self-defense.
A trial judge ruled in 2008 that it is unconstitutional to bar intoxicated people from possessing a gun in their own homes. The Supreme Court reversed that decision Tuesday.
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