Missouri should be treated as a war zone.

“Missouri lawmakers vote against banning children from carrying guns in public.”

“We have 14-year-olds walking down the middle of the street in the city of St. Louis carrying AR-15s. What has happened to us?” -Rep. Donna Baringer (D-St. Louis)

In 2007, the Missouri legislature removed permits-to-purchase requirements and in 2016, they repealed the law requiring safety training and permits to carry a concealed weapon, while decreasing the standards for self defense. Now, as a result of a recent vote against an amendment to a public safety bill that would have banned children from participating in this wild west free-for-all, the state has no minimum age requirement for carrying a gun in public.

All this firepower hasn’t made Missouri safer. The state’s gun violence rates have risen with each new law – they now have the 5th-highest rate of gun deaths in the US and firearms are the leading cause of death among children and teens.

Listen to an apologist for this situation here! No matter what he says, armed children in the street is what war zones look like.

What can stop this progression to chaos?: Deaths? So far, no. Hard costs? Hasn’t slowed them down. All this carnage costs the state $17.6 billion each year, of which $455.3 million is paid by taxpayers. Jobs and income? Maybe…Tourism provides more than 304,000 tourism-related jobs and generates nearly $18 billion in tourism-related spending. According to the Missouri Department of Economic Development, the state plans “to invest more than $50 million in the Show-Me State’s tourism industry, which was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Missouri tourism is a powerful economic driver, and we’re committed to ensuring local tourism organizations, entertainment venues, and other attractions have the resources they need to stay open and thrive.“

Are they committed enough to tell their legislators that Missouri may not offer enough for visitors to risk encounters with armed teenagers? Maybe if their state gets on advisory and travel restriction lists, they will.

Action #1: Write to Joe

Dear Joe,

Missouri doesn’t trust their kids to drink until they’re 21 or to drive with a full license until they’re 18. But they can now carry firearms at any age!

With one of the worst records for gun violence in the nation, Missouri’s GOP-led legislators ignored common sense and the pleas of their own law enforcement officials, and voted to let children carry loaded weapons in public places without adult supervision.

Already, police are reporting that teenagers are carrying AR-15’s down city streets in St. Louis. According to Democratic state Rep. Donna Baringer from St. Louis, “Until they actually brandish them, and brandish them with intent, our police officers’ hands are handcuffed, they are tied.”

Kids with weapons! This is what war zones around the world look like!

Missouri has voted themselves into becoming an incredibly dangerous place for travelers. Please ask the U.S. State Dept. to issue a travel advisory immediately, to remain in place until actual grownups revisit this issue.

Other gun-crazy states are watching to see how far they can lower the floor on 2nd Amendment rights, making passing responsible gun ownership standards more difficult. You must act, Joe, before this horror becomes embedded further.

Action #2: Write to Gavin Newsom

Dear Governor Newsom,

Missouri doesn’t trust their kids to drink until they’re 21 or to drive with a full license until they’re 18. But they can now carry firearms at any age!

With one of the worst records for gun violence in the nation, Missouri’s GOP-led legislators ignored common sense and the pleas of their own law enforcement officials, and voted to let children carry loaded weapons in public places without adult supervision.

Already, police are reporting that teenagers are carrying AR-15’s down city streets in St. Louis. According to Democratic state Rep. Donna Baringer from St. Louis, “Until they actually brandish them, and brandish them with intent, our police officers’ hands are handcuffed, they are tied.”

Kids with weapons! This is what war zones around the world look like!

Missouri has voted themselves into becoming an incredibly dangerous place for travelers. Please ask Attorney General Bonta to add Missouri to the state-funded travel restrictions list, to protect the safety of state employees from what is now a free-for-all of deadly weaponry.

Deeper dive

(everytown.org/) “Missouri gun laws are some of the weakest in the country. Missouri has no law requiring background checks on unlicensed gun sales. State law also allows people to carry hidden, loaded handguns in public without a permit or safety training. Missouri has no laws prohibiting domestic abusers from possessing guns.”