For Immediate Release

Oct. 30, 2024

The Office of Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker today emphasized that it will use a new prosecution tool, the enforcement of Blair's Law, to decrease the harmful impacts of gun violence in our community.

“We are committed to enforcing Blair’s Law,” Baker said. “As in any investigation, a determination of the proper criminal charges will hinge on the available evidence. But we are committed to enforcing this new gun law.”

Baker stressed that Blair’s Law creates felony and misdemeanor criminal charges for a person who recklessly fires a weapon in city limits. The first offense is a Class A misdemeanor, while a second offense is a Class D felony.

Baker noted other gun laws currently on the books that her office will examine in investigations involving firearms. They include: Possession of a gun while in an intoxicated state; and possession in a church, election precinct, government building, school or any bus. In addition, if a store owner has posted signage prohibiting firearms, the prosecutor’s office is committed to enforcing trespass laws against persons carrying guns in violation of the property owners’ notice. The prosecutor’s office is also working with law enforcement to use shot-spotter information, such as the audio and location data that the system generates. 

Baker also noted that a Missouri law declaring some federal regulations "invalid" was recently declared unconstitutional. The Second Amendment Preservation Act, or SAPA, passed in 2021 by the Missouri General Assembly, purported to establish a $50,000 fine for law enforcement agencies that "infringe" on Missourians' Second Amendment rights.

 A federal appellate court has held that SAPA violates the U.S. Constitution. The decision supports law enforcement's ability to enforce firearms offenses in Missouri.

For more information, contact:

Michael Mansur 

Director of Communication 

Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office 

Jean Peters Baker, Prosecutor 

(816) 881-3812 

(816) 674-3954 

mmansur@jacksongov.org 

https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com