Last month, the Missouri State Legislature voted to override Governor Jay Nixon’s veto of a guns-in-school bill that puts our kids and communities at greater risk. Teachers, school administrators, law enforcement and parents alike opposed this law. The bill allows school districts to arm teachers and make it impossible for parents to find out if someone is carrying a concealed, loaded weapon in their child’s classrooms. It also includes a provision that forces Missouri’s cities to let teenagers openly carry loaded guns in public, overriding local public safety laws prohibiting open carry. Another provision of the law makes it more difficult for doctors to counsel patients about the risks of gun violence.
We, the Missionaries and Companions of the Precious Blood, made a corporate stance as a congregation to promote more gun control. This law does not conform to our call for responsible legislation controlling gun ownership and use.
Everytown for Gun Safety is a movement of Americans fighting for common-sense gun policies. They are moms, mayors, survivors and concerned citizens. Their website has a lot of useful information about gun violence in schools and how it affects communities in general. Melissa Brooks is the Missouri Chapter Lead for this group and also belongs to Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. I encourage all of you to visit act.everytown.org and join the Gun Sense Voter Campaign in Missouri. It is time to hold lawmakers accountable for their failure to enact common-sense gun laws that will keep our families and communities safer. Support of common-sense gun legislation should be a major factor is choosing which candidate to vote for next month.
Daryl Charron, C.PP.S.
