JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri House endorsed a wide-ranging anti-crime package Friday that includes a long-sought crackdown on celebratory gunfire.
The measure, which was sent to Gov. Mike Parson on a 130-5 vote, also would create a state Conviction Review Unit to review innocence claims and increases penalties for assault of police dogs, among other provisions.
Passage of the legislation came on the final day of the legislative session as the House pushed a handful of Senate bills across the finish line.
A similar measure approved last year was vetoed by the governor over provisions that were removed from the bill.
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Otherwise, “The bill is identical,†said Rep. Lane Roberts, a Joplin Republican.
Under the measure, the penalty for assaulting a police animal would increase from a class C misdemeanor to a class A misdemeanor, unless the animal requires veterinary care or dies. A class C misdemeanor can be punished by up to 15 days in jail and a $700 fine; a class A misdemeanor carries a penalty of up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The person would be guilty of a class E felony if the animal requires veterinary care and a class D felony if the animal dies. Conviction on a class E felony could mean imprisonment of up to four years; class D would mean up to seven years.
The provision targeting celebratory gunfire, called “Blair’s Law,†is named after 11-year-old Blair Shanahan, who died in 2011 from a stray bullet during a backyard barbecue in Kansas City.
The practice of randomly shooting bullets into the air also is common in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, where at least four people were injured in 2022 when hundreds of rounds flew into the air on Jan. 1, according to police records.
The measure declares a person commits the offense of unlawful discharge of a firearm “if he or she recklessly discharges a firearm within or into the limits of any municipality.â€
There are numerous exceptions, such as use of firearms at shooting ranges or if the firearm is used in self-defense.
A person’s first offense for unlawful discharge of a firearm would be a class A misdemeanor. The second offense would be a class E felony, and subsequent offenses would be a class D felony.
The bill also includes a provision aimed at stopping people from fleeing a police stop. It is named after former ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Police Officer Antonio Valentine, who was killed by a car fleeing police at high speed.
The proposal also raises penalties for unlawful possession of a firearm.
Under the measure, the penalty for unlawful possession of a firearm would increase from a class D felony to a class C felony.
If the person has already been convicted of a dangerous felony under current law, unlawful possession would be a class C felony. That would increase to a class D felony under the measure.
The legislation is Sena
Alyse Pfeil of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.