Joy turned to terror when shots rang out near a post-parade rally celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs' historic 2024 Super Bowl win. One death has been reported so far, and at least 20 people—including eight children—were injured. This marks the third time Kansas City has experienced a mass shooting event so far this year, and the fourth in Missouri, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Despite a heavy police presence—more than 800 uniformed officers were present according to Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves—the perpetrator(s) weren't deterred. Missouri doesn't require permits or licenses to carry, buy, or own handguns, shotguns, or rifles, presenting challenges when it comes to securing huge events like the city-wide Chiefs celebration.
All Chiefs players and staff have been accounted for and are safe, although several children in the crowd became separated from their families in the chaos, and had to be reunited with their parents. Kansas City's mayor was also in the crowd and ran from the shooting. Two people were taken into custody, and it appears that there is no ongoing threat to the public.
Nearly 6 in 10 (58%) Missouri residents told us they're highly concerned about gun violence on a daily basis (US 51%). As part of our annual State of Safety survey, we track attitudes and concerns about safety and crime, including gun violence.
Here's what we learned in the most recent survey (fielded in January 2023), that will be published later this year:
- Concern about gun violence in Missouri increased 7% year over year.
- Missouri is the thirteenth-most concerned state when it comes to gun violence.
- 26% of Missouri survey respondents said they'd had a personal experience with gun violence in the 12 months prior to the survey (US 12%).
- Reported experience with gun violence jumped 117% year over year in Missouri—making the state's run-ins with gun violence 110% higher than the national average of 12%.
- Of those respondents who use security measures at home (79%), firearms are the third-most used (28%) form of property protection in Missouri, following security cameras (40%) and guard dogs (35%).
- 42% of Missouri respondents use some kind of personal protection, with concealed firearms being the second-most popular choice (31%) behind pocket knives (48%).
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