The Missouri House has granted initial approval to the latest version of Blair’s Law.
The proposed law is named after an 11-year-old girl from the Kansas City area who was killed in 2011 when she was struck by a stray bullet on the Fourth of July. It attempts to ban what is often called “celebratory gunfire,” or people firing bullets indiscriminately into the air.
The bill, which sponsoring Rep. Rodger Reedy, R-Windsor, called “common sense,” would accomplish this by making it a crime to discharge a firearm with criminal negligence in or into the limits of any municipality. People violating the law could be charged with unlawful use of a weapon. The first offense would be a misdemeanor, and subsequent offenses would be felonies.
There would be certain exemptions, including for self-defense, supervised shooting ranges, lawful hunting, control of nuisance wildlife, the duties of animal control officers and with permission of the local police chief.
This is the latest attempt to pass Blair’s Law. Reedy said he had worked with Blair’s mom, Michele Shanahan DeMoss, who has been advocating for the legislation at the Capitol since the shooting over a decade ago.
A similar version of Blair’s Law last session passed the House in a 109-36 vote. The bill failed to pass the Senate before the end of session.
Rep. Mark Sharp, D-Kansas City, has also sponsored various versions of Blair’s Law in the past.
In a Senate hearing in March, senators from both political parties told DeMoss they were working on getting Blair’s Law passed.
“It gets stalled every year. I apologize to you that it keeps happening,” said Sen. Greg Razer, D-Kansas City.
Reedy’s bill once again has significant bipartisan support. It passed the House Committee on Rural Community Development on a 12-0 vote.
Yet, with a little over a month left in session, it is unclear if the legislature will get something done this year. It still requires final approval in the House, and then it must make it through the Senate.
