ST. LOUIS (KSDK) -- Ever since the horrific school
shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, gun control has been a hot topic. Now
comes word of a Missouri lawmaker who wants any parent who owns guns to
notify their child's school.
The lawmaker says she hopes the already filed bill will bring awareness
to schools and to parents about keeping their guns locked up.
It's the next idea in a long list of proposed ideas for gun control,
making it mandatory for parents to notify their child's school about
their gun supply.
"I am not trying to take away the gun rights of any parents or any other
citizens I believe in the second amendment," says State Senator Maria
Chappelle-Nadal.
She says she wants the violence in schools to stop and this is just one different idea that no one has brought up.
"It encourages parents to make sure they store their guns safely in
their home, it also gives the school districts the opportunity to help
encourage gun safety in the community and in the household," says the
Senator.
"I agree with it, we need to know because a lot of parents aren't governing their homes properly," says parent Danaelle Stidum.
Some parents say the bill doesn't focus the attention on the parents that need to be focused on.
"It concerns me a bit because I think the parents that would have no
problem registering the guns aren't the ones you have to worry about, I
think it's the ones who don't or who are obtained by the students
without their parents knowledge that's the concern," says parent Bill
Koster.
The principal of Brentwood High School says the information may help the
police more than the school district and what about blaming a parent
for guns in their house they don't even know about?
"Maybe a student obtaining a weapon without the parent even knowing about it," says Principal Don Rugraff.
"I understand what they are trying to do, but making us notify them if
we have guns is not going to deter the behavior what makes people do
what they do with guns," says parent Kris Mills.
This proposal is one of only a handful in Missouri's house and senate.
NewsChannel 5's political analyst Dave Robertson told me he's surprised
that there aren't more bills being proposed about gun control, but the
chances of any bills about the issue being passed is slim to none
because of the political atmosphere between the lawmakers and the
governor.
Elizabeth Matthews, KSDK