Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

SECOND REGULAR SESSION
                     HOUSE CONCURRENT
                      RESOLUTION NO. 55
                             102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
                             INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE AUNE.
    5770H.01I                                                      DANA RADEMAN MILLER, Chief Clerk



           WHEREAS, ensuring the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of this state is one
 2 of the most important duties of the Missouri state government; and
 3
 4         WHEREAS, gun violence is a national epidemic; and
 5
 6         WHEREAS, Missouri has the eighth-highest gun-violence rate in the United States;
 7 and
 8
 9         WHEREAS, on February 14, 2024, there was a mass shooting in Kansas City at the
10 Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl rally, killing one person and wounding twenty-two others;
11 and
12
13         WHEREAS, on October 24, 2022, there was a mass shooting at Central Visual and
14 Performing Arts High School in St. Louis, killing three, including the perpetrator, and
15 wounding seven; and
16
17         WHEREAS, from 2014 through 2021, there have been 9,891 firearm-related deaths
18 in Missouri; and
19
20         WHEREAS, gun violence touches every single county in Missouri and communities
21 deserve solutions; and
22
23         WHEREAS, other states have enacted various laws to address gun violence, and
24 these different approaches provide an opportunity to examine which laws successfully reduce
25 gun violence; and
26
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27           WHEREAS, it is crucial to determine whether Missouri's gun laws are working
28   effectively and whether additional legislative action would be beneficial:
29
30          NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the members of the House of
31   Representatives of the One Hundred Second General Assembly, Second Regular Session, the
32   Senate concurring therein, hereby establish the "Joint Committee on Gun Violence and
33   Legislation"; and
34
35          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the mission of the Joint Committee on Gun
36   Violence and Legislation is to:
37
38          (1) Review gun laws currently in effect in Missouri;
39
40          (2) Consult with and hear testimony of gun-law experts and community members with
41   experience relating to gun laws;
42
43          (3) Study and discuss gun laws in other states;
44
45         (4) Discuss and determine whether new gun laws would reduce gun violence in
46   Missouri; and
47
48          (5) Develop recommendations for the General Assembly on possible legislative action
49   regarding gun laws; and
50
51          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Joint Committee on Gun Violence and
52   Legislation shall consist of the following members:
53
54          (1) Four members of the majority party of the House of Representatives, appointed by
55   the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
56
57          (2) Four members of the minority party of the House of Representatives, appointed by
58   the minority leader of the House of Representatives;
59
60         (3) Four members of the majority party of the Senate, appointed by the President Pro
61   Tempore of the Senate; and
62
HCR 55                                            3

63          (4) Four members of the minority party of the Senate, appointed by the minority
64   leader of the Senate; and
65
66          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the staffs of House Research, Senate Research,
67   and the Joint Committee on Legislative Research shall provide such legal, research, clerical,
68   technical, and bill drafting services as the Joint Committee on Gun Violence and Legislation
69   may require in the performance of its duties; and
70
71          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Joint Committee on Gun Violence and
72   Legislation, its members, and any staff assigned to the Joint Committee shall receive
73   reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred in attending meetings of the Joint
74   Committee or any subcommittee thereof; and
75
76         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Joint Committee shall meet within two
77   months of the adoption of this resolution; and
78
79           BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Joint Committee shall report a summary of
80   its activities and any recommendations for legislation to the General Assembly before
81   January 1, 2025; and
82
83          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Joint Committee is authorized to function
84   during the legislative interim of the second regular session of the One Hundred Second
85   General Assembly, as authorized by State v. Atterbury, 300 S.W.2d 806 (Mo. 1957); and
86
87          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Joint Committee shall terminate on January
88   1, 2025; and
89
90          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of
91   Representatives be instructed to prepare a properly inscribed copy of this resolution for the
92   Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.
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