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Why convicted domestic abusers can still own guns in Missouri

Some Missouri lawmakers are trying once again to close a legal loophole and make it illegal for convicted domestic abusers to own or access firearms. Plus, fire departments in rural Kansas can’t recruit enough young people to handle triple the number of service calls.

For years now, Missouri lawmakers have attempted to make it illegal for people convicted of domestic abuse to own or access firearms — with no success. This year, Missouri state Sen. Lauren Arthur, a Democrat from Kansas City, is sponsoring a bill aimed at dealing with that issue. Arthur and Annie Struby of the Rose Brooks Center spoke with KCUR’s Steve Kraske on Up to Date.

Across vast stretches of the country, the first responders to a fire are all volunteers. But the number of calls for help has tripled in recent decades, while the ranks of volunteers look decidedly thinner — and then the pandemic hit. As KCUR’s Frank Morris reports, the staffing struggles are especially hurting rural Kansas, where wildfires raged in mid-December.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love with Trevor Grandin and edited by Gabe Rosenberg & Lisa Rodriguez.

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As a newscaster and a host of a daily news podcast, I want to deliver the most important and interesting news of the day in an engaging and easily understandable way. No matter where you live in the metro or what you’re interested in, I want you to learn something from each newscast or podcast – and maybe even give you something to talk about at the dinner table.
As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.
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