Missouri votes against gun limits for children

The Republican-controlled Missouri House of Representatives has voted against banning children from openly carrying firearms on public land without adult supervision.

The proposal to ban minors from carrying guns without adult supervision in public failed on Wednesday by a 104-39 vote. One Republican voted in support of it.

The measure was part of a House debate on the best way to fight crime, particularly in the St. Louis area.

Republican Representative Lane Roberts —- a former Joplin, Missouri, police chief and state public safety director — initially included the restrictions on children possessing guns in a broader crime bill, which the House voted to give initial approval to later Wednesday. But lawmakers on a House committee that Roberts leads stripped the provision on guns last week.

"Every time we talked about the provision related to guns, we knew that that was going to be difficult on our side of the aisle," Roberts said, according to The Associated Press.

Republicans said the effort was an infringement on gun rights.

"While it's reasonable to be wary of minors carrying guns, any solution to juvenile crime needs to be crafted properly and respectful of individual rights,'' Tony Lovasco, a Republican from the St Louis suburb of O'Fallon, told The Washington Post in a statement.

"While it may be intuitive that a 14-year-old has no legitimate purpose, it doesn't actually mean that they're going to harm someone. We don't know that yet," said Lovasco. "Generally speaking, we don't charge people with crimes because we think they're going to hurt someone."

Democratic Representative Donna Baringer said police in her district asked for the change to stop "14-year-olds walking down the middle of the street in the city of St. Louis carrying AR-15s''.

"Now they have been emboldened, and they are walking around with them," Baringer said. "Until they actually brandish them, and brandish them with intent, our police officers' hands are handcuffed."

Missouri lawmakers in 2017 repealed concealed-carry requirements in most situations, allowing people to carry hidden, loaded handguns in public without a permit or safety training.

Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit organization that advocates for gun control and against gun violence, ranks Missouri gun laws as some of the weakest in the country. It has no law requiring background checks on unlicensed gun sales and doesn't prohibit domestic abusers from possessing guns.

The gun proposal comes almost a month after Missouri Republicans in the state House made news for voting to tighten the dress code for women legislators while leaving the men's dress code alone. A modified version of the proposal was approved, which allows for cardigans as well as jackets but still requires women's arms to be covered.

Agencies contributed to this story.