Ban on minors carrying guns fails in Missouri Legislature

Jenna Wilson, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
·2 min read
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Feb. 21—The Missouri Legislature recently voted down a proposed ban on children under the age of 18 carrying firearms in public without supervision, which has some concerned after recent incidents of minors bringing guns to school.

A teacher in St. Louis found a gun in a 5-year-old's backpack last week, which is the most recent example of the issue, along with incidents like the teacher who was shot in Virginia by a 6-year-old student.

Some officials say they believe the rejection of this law may have caused a setback, as children are carrying guns at an increasingly alarming rate. Currently, Missouri does not have a minimum age to carry a gun, also residents must be 18 to buy a rifle and 21 to purchase a handgun.

"I think the impetus behind this particular legislation had to do with some pretty serious gun violence that was taking place in the St. Louis area," said Linda Meyer, the chief juvenile officer with the 5th Circuit in Buchanan County. "This was an attempt to help with that problem and get the guns out of the hands of youth. Unfortunately, there were some people that lost their lives as a result of a juvenile using a gun. I think this law would've been a way to help ensure the safety of our community."

One of the reasons the proposal was rejected was that some lawmakers saw the measure as a breach of the right to bear arms. The proposal was defeated in the Missouri House by a vote of 104-39.

While the purpose of a weapon is for protection, experts have concerns kids may not understand that.

"We know that there's evidence that shows that their brains are not completely developed," Meyer said. "I really think that we owe it to our youth to help protect them in any way that we can."

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed there was a 33.4% increase in firearm homicides involving minors from 2019 to 2021.

Meyer said while this number may not decrease due to a law any time soon, she said adults can help by teaching kids about the severity of guns.

"It's absolutely critical that families are engaging with their children," Meyer said. "We are responsible for teaching kids not to play with guns as well as keeping it out of their reach. It has been proven ... the more family engagement we have with children, the more successful a youth can be as far as going from juvenile age to adulthood."

Jenna Wilson can be reached at jenna.wilson@newspressnow.com.