Missouri lawmakers advanced a bill this week to provide a special prosecutor in St. Louis for violent crime, but voted down a bill restricting the use of guns among kids.
Republican Representative Lane Roberts authored the bill that would impose a special prosecutor for violent crime in St. Louis, and included an amendment in the original version that would make it illegal for minors to have handguns in public places.
"Crafting a piece of legislation that bridges the aisle has proven to be a very difficult and frustrating thing," Roberts said.
But Speaker Dean Plocher tells 97.1 FM that the amendment wouldn't prevent kids from carrying rifles, like an AR-15. He added that banning all guns from minors would impact hunting, and acknowledged that the legislation wouldn't work for all areas of the state.
"Sure, St. Louis may not need that AR-15 kid walking around with a gun," he said. "How do you legislate that without taking away someone's rights in Washington County?"
Plocher said lawmakers will continue to work on the issue, realizing that kids with guns is a big and growing problem.
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