
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri is one of several states where proposals to punish adults in cases where children gained access to unsecured weapons have stalled in the Legislature.
The issue arises after Missouri has recorded six children ages 3 and under dying in accidental shootings between 2014 and 2016. The Associated Press and the USA TODAY Network examined cases across the country in which children killed themselves or other children with unsecured firearms.
Missouri law makes it a misdemeanor to sell, lease, loan, or give a firearm to a minor without the parent’s or guardian’s consent.
During the just completed session, several Democratic lawmakers proposed legislation to prevent minors from possessing firearms and setting punishments for people who sell, lease or transport guns to them. None of the proposals got a floor debate.