Merideth pre-files bills to combat gun violence

Gun safety measures designed to save lives

Rep. Peter Merideth (Tim Bommel/House Communications)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — State Rep. Peter Merideth, D-St. Louis, filed a trio of bills last week designed to prevent dangerous people that pose a threat to themselves and others from easily accessing firearms.

While Merideth has filed several pieces of legislation in the past to combat gun violence, he says he did so this year with a renewed sense of urgency after the shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High — which lies within his district — claimed the lives Alexzandria Bell, a 15-year-old student, and Jean Kuczka, a lifelong educator. He also injured seven others in the attack.

“I refuse to simply respond with thoughts and prayers while waiting for the next tragedy to strike when we know there are simple changes we can make to the law that will help stop these things from happening,” Merideth said. “We can save lives with more sensible gun policy, and we can prevent other communities from enduring the agony and loss that this one has suffered.”

The parents of the 19-year-old assailant in the Oct. 24 shooting alerted law enforcement nine days prior to the shooting that their son, who had a history of mental instability for which they sought treatment, had obtained an AR-15 rifle from a private dealer after he failed an FBI background check at a dealer in St. Charles. However, law enforcement rightly determined they had no legal basis to confiscate his gun.

Merideth’s bills would put roadblocks in place for a similarly troubled person from easily accessing a firearm. House Bill 458 would institute a “red flag” law modeled after one passed by republicans in Florida following a mass shooting there, allowing law enforcement to file extreme risk protection orders with a judge to temporarily remove firearms from a person who poses a threat to themselves and others. HB 459 would raise the age necessary to legally purchase a firearm to 21 years old.

“If you’re not old enough to legally buy a drink, you shouldn’t be able to buy a gun,” Merideth said.

The representative also filed HB 460 to repeal a provision signed into law by Gov. Mike Parson in 2021 that punishes local and state law enforcement with enormous penalties if they enforce federal gun laws. He also has also filed HJR3 which would ask voters to approve a background check requirement on all gun sales and to restore a permit requirement to carry a gun in public.

“These laws have proven to work in other states to reduce gun violence like the school shooting at CVPA, but also the gun violence so many in our community endure every single day,” Merideth said. “Enough is enough — we must finally take action for common sense and safety.”