Missouri House staffer leaves loaded gun in Capitol restroom

Missouri House speaker Tim Jones's legislative assistant Dan Evans left a loaded handgun in a public restroom in the state Capitol last week.

According to a Capitol Police incident report, a Kahr CM9 9mm pistol loaded with hollow point bullets was found perched atop a toilet paper dispenser in a men's room in the basement of the Capitol.

The report states the gun “was fully loaded with one round in the chamber and six rounds in the magazine.”

Capitol police returned the gun to Evans after Jones's secretary called to report that it had been misplaced.

Although Evans, who has a concealed carry permit, didn't have paperwork for the gun with him, he "offered a very detailed description of the weapon and the holster (and) was able to identify the weapon by the brand, caliber, color, size, the holster and the ammunition count and type that was in the weapon," according to the report.

A 2011 law allows Missouri legislators and staffers who have concealed gun permits to carry them in the Capitol. No charges are expected to be filed.

Some lawmakers are outraged, however. State Rep. Stacey Newman said Evans's lapse could have had disastrous consequences had the capitol been full of school children and other visitors.

Evans, 64, unsuccessfully ran for the state House in 2010 and recently became assistant legislative director for Jones, who has a 100 percent rating from the National Rifle Association. Evans also serves on the St. Charles County Republican Central Committee.