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Judge weighs rewrite of Missouri gun rights plan

A Missouri judge has denied a request to stop election officials from distributing absentee ballots for a proposed constitutional amendment dealing with gun rights.

Cole County Judge Jon Beetem rejected a temporary restraining order Wednesday but said he will consider a request to rewrite the ballot summary that voters will see in August.

Beetem heard arguments Wednesday in the lawsuit brought by St. Louis Police Chief Samuel Dotson III and Rebecca Morgan, a member of the Missouri chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

Their lawsuit says the ballot summary written by legislators implies that it's establishing a right to bear arms that already exists. The lawsuit says the summary also fails to note that the measure would subject laws restricting gun rights to strict legal scrutiny.

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