Current:Home > StocksMissouri constitutional amendment would ban local gun laws, limit minors’ access to firearms -Infinite Edge Capital
Missouri constitutional amendment would ban local gun laws, limit minors’ access to firearms
View
Date:2025-04-12 12:37:32
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The Democratic stronghold of St. Louis and other cities in the Republican-leaning state of Missouri would be blocked from cracking down on guns under a newly proposed constitutional amendment.
A petition for a November 2024 vote on the proposal, filed this week, also would require parents’ permission for minors to use and carry firearms. Missouri currently has no age restrictions on gun use and possession, although federal law largely prohibits minors from carrying handguns.
The proposed measure makes exceptions to the parental permission rule in case of emergencies and for members of the military. Each branch of the military requires that people be at least 17 years old in order to enlist.
Paul Berry, a suburban St. Louis Republican, filed the proposal with the secretary of state’s office in response to efforts by the city to sidestep the state Legislature and impose restrictions on gun use.
“Constitutional rights should apply to all individuals of the state or the country equally, regardless of your zip code or your financial status or the style of community that you live in,” Berry said.
St. Louis is annually among the cities with the nation’s highest homicide rates. City leaders have been trying for years to persuade Missouri’s Republican-led Legislature to enact stricter gun laws, but without success. The state has among the most lenient gun laws in the nation.
In February, the Missouri House voted down a bipartisan proposal that would have put limits on when and where minors may carry guns. St. Louis officials renewed calls for action after one teenager was killed and 10 others were hurt at a downtown party that devolved into a shootout on June 18. Survivors ranged from ages 15 to 19.
While Missouri lawmakers passed a law in 2014 preventing cities and counties from enacting any gun policies, another constitutional amendment filed by St. Louis advocates would work around that law by enshrining in the constitution local governments’ right to adopt their own gun rules.
Berry is challenging those proposals in court.
He needs to gather signatures from 8% of voters in six of the state’s eight congressional districts to get the proposals on the ballot in 2024.
Berry, a 45-year-old businessman, also on Friday announced he is running for lieutenant governor in 2024 in a GOP primary that includes state Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder.
Berry previously lost several bids for St. Louis County executive and the state Legislature. He failed to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner in 2022.
veryGood! (1)
Related
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- Score a $598 Tory Burch Dress for $60, a $248 Top for $25, and More Can't-Miss Deals
- The crane attacked potential mates. But then she fell for her keeper
- Warm weather forces park officials to suspend Isle Royale wolf count for first time in decades
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- Massachusetts Senate debates gun bill aimed at ghost guns and assault weapons
- Lawmakers move to help veterans at risk of losing their homes
- The Senate is headed for a crucial test vote on new border policies and Ukraine aid
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- South Carolina to provide free gun training classes under open carry bill passed by state Senate
Ranking
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- The Best Valentine's Day Gifts Based On Each Love Language
- South Carolina to provide free gun training classes under open carry bill passed by state Senate
- The crane attacked potential mates. But then she fell for her keeper
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- Power outage at BP oil refinery in Indiana prompts evacuation, temporary shutdown
- IRS gives Minnesota a final ‘no’ on exempting state tax rebates from federal taxes
- Woman receives $135 compensation after UPS package containing son's remains goes missing
Recommendation
Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
Duke Energy seeks new ways to meet the Carolinas’ surging electric demand
After Washington state lawsuit, Providence health system erases or refunds $158M in medical bills
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin apologizes for keeping hospitalization secret
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Vibrations in cooling system mean new Georgia nuclear reactor will again be delayed
Who freed Flaco? One year later, eagle-owl’s escape from Central Park Zoo remains a mystery
'Blindspot' podcast offers a roadmap of social inequities during the AIDS crisis