Columbia youth leaders respond to city’s push to advocate for changing state juvenile gun laws
Nia Hinson
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The City of Columbia says it plans to make advocating for changing the state’s juvenile gun law a priority next year.
During its meeting Monday night, council members unanimously approved making amending the state law to match federal law regarding possession of handguns by minor a legislative priority in 2026. The council also approved other priorities, including increasing support for state emergency response agencies, as well as affordable housing initiatives.
Federal law prohibits the possession of a handgun or handgun ammunition by any person under the age of 18 with few exceptions, such as farming or hunting. However, Missouri law does not include any prohibitions on minors carrying or possessing firearms.
Mayor Barbara Buffaloe voiced her support for the change, also pushing for the city to advocate for legislation that would require lost or stolen guns to be reported to local law enforcement within 72 hours after discovery of the loss.
Buffaloe also told ABC 17 News on Tuesday evening that she’s hopeful Republican members of the state legislature will be open to matching the state law with federal law.
Lonnie Lockhart Bey works with at-risk youth at Destiny of H.O.P.E and said he would support the state law changing.
“I believe that to put a gun in the hands of a child who have emotional stability issues, I think it can always go bad,” Lockhart Bey said. “I think it’s a law that should be repealed. I don’t think it really benefits society. Why do children need guns? That’s what it all boils down to.”
Lockhart Bey said he supports the exception of a parent taking their child hunting and things of that nature, but believes allowing a child to legally possess a gun for other purposes does more harm than good.
He said while he supports the idea of the change, there’s a large issue at hand that needs to be tackled.
“I think that a lot of the conditions, the social conditions, the lack of opportunity, the food insecurities, lack of health care… all of those things play a part in the conditions that we see,” Lockhart Bey said.
Lockhart Bey said he also thinks the city needs to address the larger issue of how guns are getting into Columbia, saying all of the blame can’t be placed on parents.
Executive Director of Columbia Supreme Anthony Johnson said he sees both pros and cons to the state law changing. He said his biggest concern is that the change would lead to more Black children being charged with felonies and adult charges at a young age.
Johnson said he thinks the change wouldn’t address the root cause.
“I think the majority of times kids are getting the guns from cars but they’re not stealing from the car. They know that those guns are in the cars and someone put them in there and someone left the doors unlocked,” Johnson said. “There’s a bigger thing going on and those are the kind of things I want to see addressed.”
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