A Missouri lawmaker is making headlines with her proposal to require parents to notify schools if they own a gun.

State Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal of St Louis County also wants to make failing to prevent guns from getting into the wrong hands a crime. A news conference was scheduled Wednesday in Jefferson City.

The bill creates a new criminal offense of failing to stop illegal firearm possession.

The measure would make parents or guardians culpable if a child under 18 possesses a firearm and they fail to stop the possession or report it to law enforcement.

 

The offense would be a Class A misdemeanor unless death or injury results from the firearm possession in which case it is a Class D felony.

The bill would also create the offense of negligent storage of a firearm. Parents and guardians would be held accountable if a child under 18 years of age accesses a firearm and carries it to school, or uses it to commit a crime or kill or injure another person. That offense would be a Class A misdemeanor unless the child kills or injures another person in which case it is a Class D felony.

The measure also requires a parent or guardian to notify a school district, or the governing body of a private or charter school, that he or she owns a firearm within 30 days of enrolling the child in school or becoming the owner of a firearm. Failure to notify the school would be an infraction, punishable by a fines of from $100 to $1,000 depending on the outcomes.

Click here for a complete copy of the proposed legislation.