ST. LOUIS—After years of pleas to the public to refrain from firing weapons as a way of celebrating the New Year, authorities across the state of Missouri have a new tool at their disposal: A new state law that could result in up to a year in jail for the first offense.
“Blair’s Law”, named after a Kansas City area child who died when struck by celebratory gunfire, passed the Missouri General Assembly in 2023 but was part of a larger piece of legislation that was ultimately vetoed. It passed through again in 2024, was signed by Gov. Mike Parson and took effect in late August.
The city of St. Louis also passed its own ordinance.
“Simply put, guns have no place in your New Year’s Eve celebration, and if you’re firing your gun in the air to celebrate be aware that Chief Tracy and the brave men and women of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department now have the legal tools to make sure you spend the beginning of your new year answering for your actions,” Mayor Tishaura Jones said Monday at a news conference with SLMPD Chief Robert Tracy and St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson.
Under the new state law, a first offense is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000. A second offense would be a Class E felony, punishable by up to four years in prison, with further offenses considered a Class D felony, resulting in up to seven years in prison.
Tracy said there would be a special “Fun without guns” detail on New Year’s Eve, with additional patrol officers, including those who will respond only to shots fired and “ShotSpotter” calls.
“What goes up must come down and firing weapons into the air is a tremendous safety risk. We’ve had fire trucks, we’ve had ambulances hit by bullets coming back down so the only way to have a safe and happy new year is to abide by the new rules. Don’t celebrate with guns,” Jenkerson said.
Police could not provide statistics Monday on the number of times the new state law had been enforced in St. Louis since it took effect in late August.