Missouri has some of the strongest pro-Second Amendment laws on the books, but Democrats are hoping to get buy-in from the Republican majority on the issue of juveniles carrying firearms.
Under Missouri's concealed carry laws, a person has to be 19 years old before they can lawfully carry. But the state statute on unlawful possession of a firearm doesn't include any age limitations, which arguably allows for minors to at least openly carry long guns without violating state law. Some critics of the law contend that juveniles can legally carry handguns as well, and are hoping to change that this session.
Two Missouri lawmakers from Columbia introduced bills Wednesday to make it illegal for minors to have weapons under state law.
The bills Rep. Kathy Steinhoff, D-Columbia, and Sen. Stephen Webber, D-Columbia, introduced on the first day of the 2026 Missouri legislative session come days after a suspect fired a gun inside the Dick's Sporting Goods at the Shoppes at Stadium in Columbia.
A 17-year-old is suspected in connection to the incident, which also involved a carjacking in the parking lot and a pursuit that ended with the suspect's arrest near Sedalia, according to the Columbia Police Department.
Steinhoff's bill is the narrower of the two pieces of legislation. It would create a new misdemeanor offense of unlawful use of a weapon for anyone under the age of 18 who "carries a firearm into any area accessible to the public within any urban area."
Webber's bill, on the other hand, would criminalize the possession of handguns by juveniles across the state, whether or not it was in an urban area, though there is an exception for minors using handguns in self-defense.
State Rep. John Martin, R-Columbia, said he would prefer legislation closer to Webber's, as it more closely mirrors current federal law. Federal law does not ban minors from having long guns, and neither would Steinhoff or Webber's bills.
As the Republican Party traditionally laments passing laws at the federal and state level that increase gun restriction, Martin, a Republican, said a bill like Webber's has "potential" for members of his party to back.
Given that Missouri's concealed carry statutes already limit concealed carry to adults, this change could probably be made without too much controversy so long as there are guarantees minors could still access firearms for training, recreational or competitive shooting, and lawful self-defense.
That being said, if Republicans do end up backing either Webber or Steinhoff's bill, they also need to change the state's concealed carry statute as well and explicitly lower the age to lawfully carry a concealed firearm from 19 to 18. That would remove any confusion or conflict in statute about whether or not 18 year olds can exercise their right to bear arms.
These bills are just a fraction of the 2A-related legislation introduced in Missouri this session. The vast majority of gun control bills introduced in Missouri this year are going to die in committee, but there are several bills that would benefit gun owners that will hopefully draw support from a majority of lawmakers.
HB 1665, for instance, would bar homeowners' associations, condominium owners' associations, property owners' associations, and the like from instituting a "rule, policy, covenant, deed, contract, or any other similar instrument or method [that] infringe upon the right to carry concealed firearms" of any person who is the owner or occupant of that property. I'd like to see that tweaked to include any infringement on the keeping of arms as well, but this is a good start.
HB 1629 would prohibit the use of merchant category codes for gun stores, as well as prohibiting financial institutions from "taking any action against a customer or merchant that is intended to suppress lawful commerce involving firearms, firearm accessories or components, or ammunition, which action is based solely or in part on the customer's or merchant's business involving firearms, firearm accessories or components, or ammunition."
SB1128, billed as the "The Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act", would also prohibit the use of MCCs, and both bills are long overdue protections for gun owners and their right to privacy.
There are also bills that attempt to revive the Second Amendment Preservation Act struck down by federal courts for violating the Supremacy Clause, prohibit the establishment of "red flag" laws, and repeal the current prohibition of lawful carry on public transportation. That last measure has been introduced in the past, but has struggled to win support in the state Senate even after winning passage in the House. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that 2026 will be the year that this "gun-free zone" is wiped off the books, but Missouri gun owners need to be talking to their legislators if it's going to happen.
