As the Missouri legislature returns to Jefferson City for the start of the 2020 legislative session, lawmakers will again have the opportunity to pass common-sense gun safety bills. With Governor Parson announcing his support for gun safety legislation over the legislative break, gun violence prevention has quickly become the most discussed issue in Missouri. This year, it’s time for lawmakers to protect Missourians by rejecting dangerous legislation that would allow guns into sensitive areas like college campuses and bars, and by supporting gun safety bills that would reduce gun deaths and save lives, like bills to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers.
What to know about gun violence in Missouri:
- 1,074 people are shot and killed with a gun every year; 58% of those deaths are gun suicides. The rate of gun deaths in Missouri increased 55% in the last decade, compared to a 17% increase nationwide.
- Missouri has the 5th highest rate of gun homicide in the United States; 81% of all homicides in Missouri involve a gun, compared to 73% nationally. Black people in Missouri are 15 times as likely to die by gun homicide as white people.
- From 2013 to 2017, 87 women were fatally shot by an intimate partner in Missouri. This represents 74% of all intimate partner gun homicides in the state. Black women in Missouri are 2 times as likely as white women to be fatally shot by a partner.
- Firearms are the 2nd leading cause of death for children and teens. In an average year, 85 children and teens die by gun in Missouri. Black children and teens are 6 times as likely as their white peers to die by guns.
Statistics about gun violence in Missouri are available here and to learn more about how gun laws in Missouri compare to other states, Everytown’s Gun Law Navigator is available here.
If you have questions, or to request an interview with a volunteer from Missouri Moms Demand Action, please don’t hesitate to reach out.