Missouri taxpayers spend about $2,900 on costs associated with gun violence: study

A new study ranks Missouri seventh in the country when tallying the financial toll of gun violence on taxpayers.

Everytown Research & Policy calculated that the state spends over $17 billion each year to deal with the aftermath of gun violence, according to a study released Tuesday. Researchers contend the above average financial burden placed on the shoulders of Missouri residents is linked to the state’s weak gun laws.

While U.S taxpayers are spending about $1,600 on costs associated with gun violence, such as law enforcement and medical care, people living in Missouri are paying about $2,900.

The study points out a number of reasons for the high price tag. Gun deaths in the state have risen by nearly 70% within the past decade. And while the majority of the deaths reported have been suicides, taxpayers are still left paying for the police response, medical costs and losses to revenue, income and quality of life.

Residents in states with comparable populations to Missouri like Washington pay about $1,500 toward costs related to gun violence. Washington has a gun death rate of 11 deaths per 100,000 residents compared to Missouri’s rate of 20.4.

Another noted difference between the two states is the strength of their gun laws, according to the study. In Washington, background checks are required to purchase a gun. An Extreme Risk Protection Orders law gives family members and police the ability to prevent someone who poses a significant danger to others from obtaining a gun through a court order. The state also requires that gun owners store their weapons securely.

In Missouri, there is no law requiring background checks on unlicensed gun sales. Safety training and permit requirements to buy guns and carry them concealed were repealed in 2007. A previous analysis shows the state’s firearms death rate increased by 58% over the following 12 years, due to the removal of the permit-to-purchase measure. And in 2021, the Missouri statehouse passed a piece of legislation that mandates state firearms laws trump federal statutes.

The study contends that states with lower rates of gun deaths allow taxpayer money to be invested into other valuable programs in education, health care and workforce development. Some of those services address the underlying causes of gun violence, according to the study. In total, the cost of gun violence to the United States has been about $557 billion on average year — larger than the 2021 budget for the U.S Department of Education.

Kansas City had a record number of homicides in 2020 with 182 killings. So far this year, 87 homicides have been recorded, which is outpacing the rate in 2021, which was the second highest in recorded history.