KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Blair's Law, a bill passed by the Missouri legislature that would've cracked down on celebratory gunfire, was vetoed by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Thursday.
The bill, named after Blair Shanahan Lane, was included as an amendment in Senate Bill 189, which Parson vetoed.
Blair died on July 4, 2011, after being hit by celebratory gunfire.
Since her death, Blair's mother has pushed Missouri lawmakers to pass legislation that cracks down on celebratory gunfire.
In a statement, Parson said he voted SB 189 due to two other amendments included in the bill.
"SB 189 contains many public safety measures that we support and would like to sign into law, including Blair's Law, Max's Law, increased penalties for violent repeat offenders and gun crimes, and strengthening the public defender system," Parson said in a statement. "However, in this case, these unintended consequences unfortunately outweigh the good. Missourians know I am a law and order Governor and that improving public safety is a cornerstone of our administration, but I cannot sign this bill with these provisions as they are currently written."
The first amendment gave people convicted of sexual offenses a path to have their records expunged and to be removed from the sex offender registry.
Parson said though the amendment includes changes to how expungment requests are evaluated, it "fails to detail specific standards of proof for the court to consider."
The second amendment expands the qualifications for people who are exonerated based on DNA evidence to receive payment from the state.
Parson said he does not believe "every taxpayer across the State should be responsible for prosecutorial errors made at the local level."
—
