**State Representative weighs possibility of marijuana reform**

Two Missouri democratic legislators were in Columbia on Sept. 19 attending a forum discussing the possibility of reforming Missouri laws on marijuana.

Rep. Chris Kelly, D-Boone, and Rep. Rory Ellinger, D-St. Louis, were both speakers at the forum. Both supported legislation earlier this year backing decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana possession. These laws already exist in both of their districts.

At the forum, both men suggested that the time is not quite right for a big push for marijuana legislation.

**Sen. Chappelle-Nadal is calling on Missouri Legislature to Support SB124**

Sen. Maria Chappelle, D-St. Louis, is encouraging lawmakers in Missouri to support her legislation that, she says, will reduce gun violence in urban communities and schools.

Senate Bill 124, makes it unlawful to prevent illegal firearm possession and to improperly store a firearm. The bill also requires a parent or guardian enrolling a child in school to notify the school district or the governing body of a private or charter school that the parent or guardian owns a firearm.

“Since August of last year, there have been more than a dozen incidents involving teenagers and guns in just the 14th senate district alone,” Chappelle-Nadal said in a press release. “In most cases, the guns have been stolen from an unsecured place in the home and then used in robberies, carjackings and even murder. “