September 21, 2024

Jackson County Legislator Manuel Abarca IV has announced the potential for a groundbreaking ordinance aimed at addressing juvenile firearm possession in Jackson County.

This initiative represents a significant challenge to Missouri state law, which currently permits youth as young as 14 to legally carry firearms in public spaces. Legislator Abarca is taking a bold stand against the status quo, where “inaction” is often mistaken for leadership.

Progressive and courageous leadership is required to confront the growing threats to our communities’ safety. Our office refuses to sit idly by while the state legislature continues to erode public safety. It is not enough to criticize – real change demands action.

This announcement serves as direct response to the narratives espoused by some leaders, including County Executive Frank White, whose positions Abarca finds lacking in urgency. “Inaction is not action. We need more than words; we need policies that safeguard our residents, not rhetoric that perpetuates the dangers our communities face” said Abarca.

Legislator Abarca also calls upon state leadership, particularly Missouri’s Republican majority, to address the unsafe environment created by current firearm laws. “This isn’t just an issue affecting urban neighborhoods. We have heard from our rural communities who are tired of having their properties violated by trespassing teens armed with large firearms, recklessly firing off rounds for fun,” said Abarca.

As the state suggests that preemption is a component of the state constitution that empowers them to restrict County governance, I remind them of the same article that empower first class counties to self-govern. We can’t have it both ways, and preaching “local control” until it is politically advantageous for some to disallow such, is just rhetorical handcuffs that prevent good hearted people, progressively willing to make the “waves” needed to change the unsolved problems within our community. Whereby no one had thought to upend or upset the status quo to change the realities of our environment, and finally tackle common sense gun laws – I stand to stake my flag on this issue. Whether by legal challenge or policy that holds until challenged, I can not do nothing at all. To have tried and failed is better than to sit idly by and watch our communities, our families and our future shrivel and die. The time is NOW to act.

The ordinance aims to create a safer, more controlled environment for all Missourians – urban and rural alike – by setting stricter guidelines on youth access to firearms. The ordinance would prevent individuals under 18 from carrying firearms without proper adult supervision, a change that Legislator Abarca believe is long overdue.

Public safety should not be a partisan issue. It’s time for our state leaders to take meaningful steps toward ensuring that all Missourians, regardless of where they live, can feel secure in their homes and communities.