Senator proposes gun safety programs for educators and students

The first sponsor of a gun safety measure in the 2013 Missouri legislative session said the public is being confused about what he is intending to do.
One day before the Connecticut shooting on Dec. 14, Sen. Dan Brown, R-Rolla, filed a measure intended to create gun safety education programs for school faculty members and students.
The proposal is twofold, creating the Active Shooter and Intruder Response Training for Schools Program for educators and using the National Rifle Association's Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program for first grade students. 
The bill would place the training program in all Missouri public and charter schools. The goal of the program is to enable school employees to respond to dangerous situations such as an armed intruder and requires eight hours of initial training as well as four hours of continuing training. School faculty would also be required to participate in annual intruder response drills.
Rep. Stacey Newman, D-St. Louis, doubts that any person could prevent fatalities when confronted by a shooter.
"If someone comes in my door right here with a semiautomatic weapon that can fire many rounds a minute, there's nothing I can do. There's nothing we can do," Newman said.
Brown said the term "gun safety" has caused confusion, leaving some worried that students would be taught how to handle a gun. 
"I want to stress that this bill has nothing to do with teaching kids how to shoot or gun safety. It's a gun safe program," Brown said.
Brown said the difference between these terms is nuanced but essential. Students would be taught who to tell should they come across a firearm, rather than how to handle it.
Brown said that schools bear a responsibility for their students' safety, and that the bill is a necessary step. In addition to the training program, the bill would also force schools to teach the NRA's Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program to first grade students. The program employs an animated video reminiscent of a childrens television show. It's tagline: "If you see a gun, STOP! Don't touch. Leave the area. Tell an adult."
"We teach citizenship, we teach social skills. I think we need to teach children what to do if they see a firearm," Brown said.
Brown cited his five grandchildren who attend public schools, as well as two family members that teach at public schools, as one of the reasons why he felt the bill was necessary. However, Newman questioned his motives due to his ties with the NRA.
"It's to increase gun sales," Newman said. "If you're going to teach...young people in grade schools about firearms, you're encouraging them to use them, to have their parents purchase them."
Newman, who has been involved with the White House gun control initiative and recently hosted a forum with medical and law enforcement professionals, believes that Brown's measure will do little if anything to curb gun violence and accidents. Newman said experts at the forum said that in order to keep children safe from guns, they have to be taken out of the house.
"We've had law enforcement who have children who have found their weapons in their home, and of course training is all there. Training doesn't do a whole lot when your child's been shot," Newman said. "The advice of the professionals...(is) that weapon in your home is going to increase your chances of fatality."
Brown's bill is not the only one that has something to add to the nation's conversation on guns. Some House and Senate Republicans have sponsored measures that would nullify proposed federal gun regulations by making it a crime to enforce them.  A bill in the House would also exempt firearms that are made and remain in Missouri from these same regulations. Other bills, sponsored mostly by Democrats, would enforce gun safety measures, such as making it a crime to fail to lock up a firearm that is not in use.

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Missouri Senator proposes stronger laws for parental responsibility with firearms

(MDN News) -- At the same time that Pres. Barack Obama's administration is pushing for tighter restrictions on gun sales, a St. Louis area Democratic Senator is taking another approach -- stronger laws for parental responsibility over firearm access.

Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City, has proposed a bill that would create an offense for failing to prevent an illegal firearm possession or for the failure to safely store a firearm. The bill would also require a parent or guardian with a child enrolled in a school to notify the school district -- or the governing body of a private or charter school -- that the parent or guardian owns a firearm.

"This bill is very important to me because in urban cities across the nation, we experience gun violence every single day and usually our type of gun violence deals with people who live in high poverty areas (and) areas where there aren't enough resources," Chappelle-Nadal said.

Under the bill, an offense would be a Class A misdemeanor unless death or injury results, making the offense a Class D felony.

Sen. Brian Munzlinger R-Williamstown, who proposed a bill last week that would declare certain federal firearm laws unenforceable, said he believes Chappelle-Nadal's bill is a step above and beyond what would make anyone safer.

Munzlinger, however, believes programs such as the NRA's Eddie Eagle Program should be instituted in schools.

Opinion: NRA Not to Blame for Columbine Shootings

by Darrell Scott
"Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers." "The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field.
The villain was not the club he used. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart. "In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA.
I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent."
"I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy-it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room.
Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. "I wrote a poem that expresses my feelings best. This was written way before I knew I would be speaking here today:"

Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer. Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!

"Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, soul, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and reek havoc. Spiritual influences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact.
What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties.
We do not need more restrictive laws." Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts.
Political posturing and restrictive legislation are not the answers. The young people of our nation hold the key. There is a spiritual awakening taking place that will not be squelched! We do not need more religion. We do not need more gaudy television evangelists spewing out verbal religious garbage. We do not need more million dollar church buildings built while people with basic needs are being ignored.
We do need a change of heart and a humble acknowledgment that this nation was founded on the principle of simple trust in God!" "As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, He did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right!
I challenge every young person in America, and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA- I give to you a sincere challenge.
Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first stone! My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!"

Darrell Scott's daughter was killed in the Columbine shootings.

A Moment with Mike -- Missouri RX Extended

It has been over two weeks since we finished the first session of the 96th General Assembly where there were 149 bills that passed through the process and were sent to the Governor’s desk for signing. The summary of these bills was 193 pages long. We accomplished our goal of balancing the state budget without raising taxes and there were many initiatives that will affect the lives of Missourians. However, each of us would have a different opinion on the importance of a bill and what that affect may be. I will try to outline some of these bills in the coming weeks to give a better understanding of the content and consequences.

A bill that passed during the final week of the legislative session will help not only disabled Missourians but also low-income seniors. This bill will extend the highly successful Missouri Rx Plan. This program helps bridge the gap for approximately 226,000 low-income seniors and disabled residents so they can afford their prescription medications. There was much debate on whether to fund this $20 million dollar program and I received many letters and calls from concerned seniors. Funding was maintained and the program, which was set to expire this August, will continue on until 2014.
Another piece of legislation that passed in the final moments of the 2011 legislative session will expand gun rights for Missourians. This bill will lower the age requirement to carry a concealed gun from 23 to 21. Missouri put the age requirement of 23 into effect when the original concealed carry law was implemented in 2003. According to the National Rifle Association, that requirement is the highest among states that allow residents to carry a concealed weapon. Most states have an age requirement of 21, while some allow citizens as young as 18 to carry a concealed weapon. To help ensure the safe use of these weapons, the bill also increases the training requirements for an individual seeking a concealed gun permit.
A bill that did not receive a lot of attention but one that will make a profound difference in the lives of many will overhaul Missouri’s domestic violence laws for the first time in four decades. The bill approved was based on suggestions that came from a specially created task force organized by our state attorney general’s office.
One of their most important suggestions was a change to how Missouri handles orders of protection. Under this bill, judges will have additional authority to customize the terms of protection orders based on the particular facts of the situation. The legislation also ensures people seeking a protection order will not be charged filing fees when asking courts to enforce the orders.
Another important change contained in the bill will remove an expiration date for a program created in 2007 that gives victims of sexual assault, rape, stalking and domestic violence an alternative mailing address. The purpose of the program is to prevent abusers from tracking down victims through mail or public documents. It allows victims of abuse to have mail sent to the secretary of state’s office under the alternative address and then forwarded to their home. We want to continue to provide every protection we can to these victims and this legislation will help us to do that.
If you have questions, you may reach me at my Capitol number 573-751-9465, at the local district number, 660-582-4014, by email at mike.thomson@house.mo.gov or by mail at Room 401B State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.