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Mom calls for waiting period on gun purchases; Missouri lawmakers say it’s unlikely

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Mom calls for waiting period on gun purchases; Missouri lawmakers say it’s unlikely


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Janet Delana did everything she could think of to prevent her daughter, who had a host of diagnosed mental health disorders, from buying a gun. It didn’t work.

Ten years after Colby Weathers shot and killed her dad, Delana wants lawmakers to take gun safety more seriously in Missouri.

READ Part 1 | Mom frustrated decade later by America’s gun access issues, system she says failed her daughter

While Delana’s daughter had years of documented mental health issues, law enforcement couldn’t do anything to stop Weathers from buying a gun without a court order that would flag her in a national database.

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But, a court order, as seen with Weather’s case, typically comes too late.

Delana wants lawmakers to impose a three-day waiting period on purchasing a gun.

“If Missouri would’ve had a three day waiting period, she wouldn’t have been able to buy the gun until Saturday,” she said.

Delana also wants lawmakers to implement a red flag law, which would allow a judge to temporarily block someone’s access to a gun if someone believes they’re a threat to themselves or others.

The KSHB 41 I-Team reached out to 40 Republican lawmakers in Missouri to weigh in on the issue of gun legislation. None of them would speak about this story.

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In October, after a St. Louis school shooting, Governor Mike Parson told NBC affiliate KSDK that a red flag law would not have made a difference.

“You got a criminal that committed a criminal act, you know, and all the laws in the world are not going to stop those things,” he said at the time.

Two Democrats, Wes Rogers, who’s now retired and Mike Sharp, told the I-Team it’s not likely anything will change due to the Republican stronghold in the state.

“We have one of the most Republican-led legislatures in the country,” Rogers said.

Rogers spent years trying to work on what he calls common sense gun laws during his time in office. The lack of movement and any serious debate about meaningful gun laws is one of the things Rogers said frustrated him most about serving in the state legislature.

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“Red flag laws. It’s just not going to happen in Missouri,” Rogers said. “There’s no reason talking about them; There’s no path there.”

Sharp said he’s tried to keep guns out of the hands of people who are mentally unwell, like Colby, to no avail.

“We’ve been filing bills to file these red flag laws and that just don’t go anywhere in the Missouri legislature,” Sharp said.

To Sharp, the topic is personal.

“I’ve had to bury a best friend from gun violence,” Sharp said. “I’ve had to bury a sister to domestic violence.”

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Both Sharp and Rogers say they support the Second Amendment. And, for Rogers, guns are a way of life.

“I grew up in rural Platte County so I’m a gun owner,” Rogers said. “I’ve got a healthy appreciation and respect for firearms.”

Still, they both want more to be done to address the violence in America and here at home.

“We can respect the Second Amendment and have laws that keep us safe,” Rogers said. “This isn’t an either or thing, we have to do both.”

Delana tried to stop her daughter from obtaining a weapon herself. She contacted the police, FBI and ATF to see if she could get Colby added to the National Instant Criminal Background Checks System.

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Because Colby did not have an adjudicated court case, no one could help Delana.

“The first thing I’d probably say to her is, I’m sorry for what’s happened,” Sharp said. “I feel this enormous responsibility being in the legislature, when we could’ve done something, when we should’ve done something and we simply didn’t.”





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Missouri

Here are some safety tips before going out on the water

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Here are some safety tips before going out on the water


ST. LOUIS — Historically, July is when most water-related deaths and accidents occur. The Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) has already reported 14 incidents in July’s first week, including a drowning.


What You Need To Know

  • Don’t swim alone
  • Wear a US coast guard approved life jacket
  • Know everyone’s swimming ability and be attentive to fatigue
  • Be mindful of current, undertow, and submerged debris






In June, there were seven drownings throughout Missouri. The Highway patrol recommends not to swim alone, wear a US coast guard approved life jacket, stay hydrated, and swim in areas with calmer currents.

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Exhaustion is the big concern; it may occur when swimming for too long or too hard, according to the MSHP. Younger and less experienced swimmers may be inattentive to their fatigue before they realize they’re in trouble.

If going on a float trip or swimming in a river with friends, MSHP says to be aware of everyone’s swimming ability. Avoid areas with debris in the water. They also advise against using rope swings and jumping off bridges because submerged logs or branches may be beneath the surface.

MSHP has even more tips on their website specifically for floating.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers echoes the call for lifejackets, and adds that those operating a watercraft should wear an engine cutoff device and always boat sober.



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Missouri is building a long-term SEC contender with recruiting success | Sporting News

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Missouri is building a long-term SEC contender with recruiting success | Sporting News


Don’t look now, but the Missouri Tigers are quickly becoming relevant in the SEC.

Head coach Eliah Drinkwitz led the Tigers to their first 11-win season in a decade in 2023. It was a huge step forward for a team that had gone 17-19 over his first three seasons as head coach.

Now, Drinkwitz is using that momentum to lure some top recruits to the program. The 2025 recruiting class got a huge boost over the holiday weekend when top-100 offensive lineman Lamont Rogers committed to the school. 

Rodgers is an imposing 6-foot-7 offensive tackle. A 4-star recruit, other top schools recruiting him included a pair of new SEC programs in the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners. However, it was the Tigers that ended up coming out on top for the Mesquite, Texas native.

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The Tigers have now secured three 2025 recruits ranked in the top 100 nationally. The class is headlined by 5-star quarterback Matt Zollers, who will likely be the team’s starting QB in the not-too-distant future. Missouri’s other top-100 recruit is 4-star wide receiver Donovan Olugbode out of IMG Academy.

These three recruits have helped give Missouri the 16th-best recruiting class in the country for 2025. It’s the first time the Tigers have had a top-20 class since 2022, when the Tigers were able to land college football superstar wide receiver Luther Burden III.

There was a time not too long ago where it looked like Missouri would move on from Drinkwitz in favor of someone capable of getting the team over the hump. That doesn’t look like the case anymore, as the Tigers head coach is quickly building up a legitimate contender in the SEC. 

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Missouri Gov. Parson to meet with local leaders about Royals, Chiefs

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Missouri Gov. Parson to meet with local leaders about Royals, Chiefs


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri Governor Mike Parson is set to meet with community leaders from Jackson and Clay counties on Monday. Together with Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, they intend to discuss options to keep the Chiefs and Royals in Missouri.

“I thought that this was over with!” said Chiefs fan Kelsie Gana. “I didn’t know this was still going on!”

In April, voters in Jackson County denied an extension to the sales tax that supports the Chiefs and Royals. Then, in June, the Kansas State Legislature overwhelmingly approved STAR bond legislation intended to entice the teams to build stadiums in the Sunflower State.

Fans of the teams are split when it comes to what state they’d rather see the teams play in.

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“Stay in Missouri,” said one fan on Sunday.  “Of course, you have to stay in Missouri this is where it started!”

Another fan says the teams should move to the other side of the state line. “That’s our hometown, there’s nothing better than Kansas man, It don’t get no better than Kansas.”

JT Miller isn’t from Kansas City, but says that he believes Parson, Lucas and others should do everything to keep the teams in Missouri.

“Well, the big thing is if you have a pro team, especially a pro team with this stature and success, boy you want to keep them,” he said.

He fears that the teams would also look at options outside of Kansas City.

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“It would really be a mistake if they got robbed to another city. There isn’t any other city that wouldn’t want them. I’m from Orlando, we will take them tonight!”

Others, like Gana, said that moving the teams would create tension between residents of the two states.

“I feel like if you move it across the state line … it’ll just be a little battle, I mean not that deep, but a little battle between the two,” she said.

While another fan said, as long as they were in town, they didn’t care what side of the line they were on.

“I mean, if they go either way, it’s the same thing.”

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