Gun Control

LaTasha Jacobs and Carl Smart have different ideas about why Kansas City's homicide rate is so high, but they plan to work together in Jefferson City to persuade pro-gun lawmakers to consider solutions like better childcare, nutrition and education.

The legislation from St. Charles Rep. Adam Schnelting passed the Missouri House last session but died in the Senate. It would also lower the age requirement for a concealed carry permit from 19 to 18.

The Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners recently approved spending $200,000 for another year of ShotSpotter, a surveillance technology, despite a new study that says it doesn't achieve the city's public safety goals.

Lawmakers in Jefferson City did not take up any gun restrictions during the 2023 legislative session, despite pleas from students affected by the south St. Louis school shooting. Two people, a 15-year-old sophomore and a health teacher, were killed, seven others were injured, and hundreds were left traumatized.

At community listening sessions and in stories about the city's violence problem, we gained some new perspectives on a polarizing and seemingly intractable problem.

Homicides could set a record again this year as non-fatal shootings are down from last year, likely because of deadlier guns on Kansas City's streets. But overall, since 2015, shootings that leave a survivor are rising slightly — meaning more families are struggling with the physical and mental wounds they cause.

The litigation asks a Cole County judge to reject the proposed constitutional amendments or rewrite the summary and fiscal note.

The new proposals ban devices that turn guns into automatic weapons and prohibit the transfer of weapons, including ammunition, to minors.

As he enters his second term, Mayor Quinton Lucas is on a mission to lower gun violence in City — but there's only so much he can do. Plus: River Hawk Boat Shop in Lee's Summit is crafting sleek, state-of-the-art racing boats that are in demand for the MR340, a 340-mile river race that begins at Kaw Point.

Before Tuesday's inauguration for a second term as the mayor of Kansas City, Quinton Lucas held a community listening session for mothers who have been affected by gun violence. He also announced new proposed intervention efforts and restrictions on firearms for minors.

Kansas City is on pace to have more homicides this year than last, and reports of gun deaths are a weekly, if not daily, occurrence. But local leaders like Mayor Quinton Lucas say they’re restricted by state policies that make it impossible to pass local regulations — and they want to change that.

Kansas City is on pace to have more homicides this year than last, and reports of gun deaths are a weekly, if not daily, occurrence. But local leaders like Mayor Quinton Lucas say they’re restricted by state policies that make it impossible to pass local regulations — and they want to change that.