Lewis pre-files bills to reduce gun violence

Lewis says legislation needed to “save lives”

Rep. Patty Lewis (Tim Bommel/House Communications)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — State Rep. Patty Lewis, D-Kansas City, pre-filed three bills Wednesday morning on the 10th anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre to save lives by strengthening Missouri’s lax gun laws.

“Ten years ago, 20 children and 6 educators were murdered with a firearm in mere minutes, and too many politicians shrugged their shoulders.” Lewis said. “If we’re going to be serious about public safety, we need to save lives by bringing common sense back to gun laws and policy in this state.”

Lewis pointed to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, Missouri ranked fourth in firearm mortality in 2020. It ranked 17th in 2005. Those figures include deaths both by homicide and suicide, but Lewis notes that all three of her bills could drastically reduce the use of both. A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2019 found that those who utilized firearms to commit suicide successfully completed their attempts nearly 90 percent of the time and other sources have also found they consistently lead to more successful suicide attempts than other methods.

House Bill 421 would establish the Firearm Violence Prevention Act, which allows a family or household member or a law enforcement officer to petition the court for an extreme risk protection order. “Red flag” laws like HB 421temporarily remove firearms from those undergoing mental health crises who pose an immediate threat to themselves or others, and these laws have seen success in states that have implemented them.

Lewis also filed HB 422, which charges a person with the Class C felony of endangering the welfare of a child if they fail to properly secure a firearm in the presence of a minor, and HB 423, which requires that all sales or transfers of firearms be processed through a licensed firearms dealer.