ST. LOUIS — A 17-year-old was killed and 11 other teens were injured in a shooting at a party at a coworking space in downtown St. Louis early Sunday morning.
A suspect was taken into custody, but police say they think multiple shooters could have opened fire. Two other guns, both AR-style pistols, were found in the facility during the investigation, police said.
Police said everyone involved in the incident was between the ages of 15 and 19. Police did not say which of them had guns or how any of the guns were acquired.
This is how federal and state laws limit the availability of guns for teens and other young people in Missouri.
How old do you have to be to buy a gun in Missouri?
It depends on what type of gun is being sold and who is selling it.
Federal law prohibits licensed dealers from selling long guns to people under the age of 18 and handguns, which are considered concealable firearms, to people under the age of 21. Missouri law also requires licensed dealers or sellers to meet the standards set by federal law.
Missouri law prohibits anyone from "recklessly" selling, loaning or otherwise giving a firearm to a person under the age of 18 without the consent of the parent.
Missouri state law allows individual gun owners to legally sell or loan firearms from their personal arsenal without applying for a Federal Firearms License and without completing a background check on the prospective buyer.
Purchasers do not need a permit to buy a gun.
How old do you have to be to carry a gun?
The federal Youth Handgun Safety Act prohibits anyone under the age of 18 from possessing a handgun or handgun ammunition, with some exceptions for things like target shooting and hunting.
There is no age requirement to carry a long gun like a rifle.
Missouri state law includes no prohibitions on minors carrying or possessing firearms.
Do you need a permit to carry a concealed firearm?
No, you do not need a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
Missouri still issues concealed carry permits to people 19 and older who apply for them, but the state dropped the requirement to apply for a concealed carry permit in 2017.
There are some places where concealed weapons can not be taken in Missouri, including churches, polling places on election day and federal government buildings.
Open carry is permitted in the state unless the gun is being displayed in a threatening manner outside of self-defense instances. Open carry is also prohibited where firearms are prohibited.
What about the Second Amendment Preservation Act?
In 2021, Republican Gov. Mike Parson signed the Second Amendment Preservation Act into law last year, threatening to fine local or federal law enforcement officers up to $1,000 and sentence them up to a year in jail if they enforce federal gun laws in Missouri.
The same law would expose police departments to fines of up to $50,000 if they partner with the FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency or the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to "register, track" or forbid the "transfer of any kind of firearm."
Some police departments said the law would make it harder for them to do their jobs, and St. Louis and St. Louis County filed a lawsuit.
In March, a U.S. district judge ruled that the law is preempted by the federal laws under the U.S. Constitution's supremacy clause, but he allowed the law to remain in place while Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey appeals the decision.
