Law enforcement officials are urging St. Louis-area residents to safely celebrate the Fourth of July holiday weekend by refraining from firing guns into the air — or, risk prosecution.
This is the first Independence Day in Missouri with Blair's Law in effect, which makes it a crime for someone to fire a gun in a celebratory manner in any municipality in the state. Gov. Mike Parson signed the legislation into law last year.
A first offense is a class A misdemeanor. Second and third offenses are class E and D felonies, respectively.
"Maybe you've done this before, fired your gun in the air to celebrate. And maybe you got away with it. Well, those days are over," Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson said in a video on social media.
Johnson's office urged people to call 911 when they see someone firing a gun "recklessly," and to provide security camera footage that might work as evidence.
"Your neighbors are fed up. Our businesses are fed up. They're done living in fear every time there is something to celebrate."
"Shooting in the air to celebrate the Fourth of July is a criminal charge, and we will issue charges on that," St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price Smith said. "It is not safe. Those bullets have to come down."
Smith's office has charged seven people with violating Blair's Law since it took effect.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is also calling on residents to drive safely this weekend.
Cpl. Dallas Thompson said there were more than 1,300 traffic crashes and 14 deaths across Missouri over the holiday last year. More officers will be on the roads this weekend to look for drunken drivers and to respond to crashes.
"Our troopers are going to be out aggressively, enforcing all traffic laws, trying to get people to slow down and make our highways safe so everyone can get to their destinations safely," Thompson said.
The Highway Patrol made 149 arrests for driving while intoxicated over the holiday last year, Thompson said.
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