JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – More than 200 activists took to the halls of Jefferson City Tuesday to protest several gun-related bills that are moving through the Missouri Legislature.
Representatives from Missouri Moms Demand Action joined gun violence survivors and parents of school shooting, as well as the group Missouri Students Demand Action for a day of lobbying regarding gun safety and the prevention of gun violence.
An advocate told FOX 2 that she came to the Capitol with a single focus: protecting children.
“Guns are the leading killer of kids in the United States,” said Emily Schiltz, a mother of two survivors from a 2022 school shooting at a school in St. Louis. “We’re all in this together, and there are a lot of ways to keep kids safer.”
Schiltz said the most common sense change that should have already happened is making it harder for children and teens to access firearms.
Schiltz’s children attended the campus of Central Visual and Performing Arts Academy during the 2022 shooting that killed two and injured several more.
The shooter was a former student and seemed undeterred by school safety practices in place at the time.
Schiltz, who is also a teacher, said there has been a pattern of wrong solutions when it comes to school safety.
“One of the things I want parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles to understand is that intruder drills are really horrible for kids,” Schiltz said. “They’re terrifying. We’re giving kids a bonus trauma when they’re not even in a school shooting.”
Specifically, the group of Missourians in Jefferson City Tuesday say they object to “dangerous legislation” that they believe will lead to an increase in gun violence.
The groups have continued to rail against House Bill 1175, a measure that creates the “Second Amendment Preservation Act.”
The proposal passed out of the House last week and now awaits action in the Senate.
In a press release, the group says the new public safety measure that was signed into law by Gov. Mike Kehoe is one of several proposals that they see as dangerous. The others on their radar include:
- Senate Bill 77—Allows for guns in places of worship and on public transit
- Senate Bill 142—Relates to federal gun laws that wouldn’t be enforced by local police
- Senate Bill 363—Expands Missouri’s “Shoot First” law, which would allow gun owners to use their weapons as a first line in self-defense.
One thing stressed by Schiltz is that this isn’t about taking anyone’s guns away.
“It’s one thing to want to be able to bear arms for yourself and your personal safety, but not that many people think a six-year-old should have easy access to a gun,” Schiltz said of responsible gun storage. “Reducing access for minors, reducing accessibility of guns, improving access and use of gun locks. There are a lot of simple measures that a lot of us agree upon that can keep kids safe.”
Members of the Missouri Moms Demand Action spoke to members of both parties, with several attendees saying they felt both Republicans and Democrats are united around keeping children safe.
“There are a lot of simple measures that a lot of us agree upon that can keep kids safe,” Schiltz added.