Dearborn wants to legalize open carry of firearms

The Wild West may be returning to Dearborn soon, with the possible repeal of a City ordinance that prohibited the open carry of firearms and other weapons.At the regular Board of Alderman meeting Monday evening, Mayor Jamie Morey brought up a recent incident where a resident was stopped by the Platte County Sheriff’s Department after leaving a restaurant wearing a firearm. As Morey noted, according to state law, firearms may be carried in the open in public areas if they are visible from three sides. Sergeant Frank Thurman of the Platte County Sheriff’s Department noted that such open carry was legal in most areas. Alderman Bill Edwards noted that as Dearborn is a fourth-class city, its ordinances may not contradict state law, though City attorney Dan Fowler said cities are able to make some state laws more restrictive within City limits, this law included. “I don’t know about you, but if I go into the cafe and sitting across from me is a guy with a gun on his hip where I can see it, I feel safer,” Morey said.