KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Despite a growing sense of urgency to address gun violence in the state’s two largest cities and a mass shooting at a high school last fall, the Missouri General Assembly has been slow to pursue any gun reforms.
Kristin Bowen, a deputy chapter leader for Moms Demand Action, which is a national organization advocating for stronger gun laws, is often in Jefferson City testifying. Bowen said when she is advocating for stricter gun laws she thinks about the recent bar shooting in Cape Girardeau, which left five injured, and shootings like the one last fall at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis, which killed two and injured seven.
“Instead of pushing to loosen our already incredibly loose gun laws, we should be taking steps in the other direction to face the gun violence crisis that we have in our state,” Bowen said. “...Quite honestly, you can draw a clear line from our weak gun laws and our undermined public safety to the tragic events that we’ve been seeing around the state.”
