Missouri’s gun laws are notably lenient toward gun owners, but many people can still find themselves facing weapons charges. Some of these charges can lead to serious penalties.
According to recent news reports, an 18-year-old student St. Louis County now faces weapons charges following a fight that broke out after classes let out for the day at his high school. Reportedly, teachers broke up the fight, and police later arrested one of the young men. Police said when they searched the student’s backpack, they found a handgun that had been modified into an automatic weapon. It was loaded, they said.
The student now faces multiple charges, including possession of an illegal weapon.
Gun laws in Missouri
In recent years, Missouri lawmakers have enacted numerous protections for gun owners, including making it legal to carry concealed firearms without a permit. State legislators passed that law over a veto from the governor.
Our state does not have a minimum age limit for gun possession, but it does prohibit selling or transferring a gun to a minor, unless the minor has parental consent. (Federal law generally prohibits sales of handguns to anyone under age 21 or long guns to those under age 18.) Missouri also restricts the carrying of firearms in certain locations, including schools, colleges and universities.
In accordance with federal law, Missouri prohibits possession of “machine guns,” which are typically defined as guns that fire bullets continually when their triggers are pulled. Missouri also bans “defaced firearms,” a term which is typically used to describe guns that have been modified in order to make them fire automatically.