In the aftermath of the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory rally last week, some local lawmakers are calling for stricter gun laws.

The shooting has reignited urgency on the issue among some Johnson County Democratic officials, but those lawmakers question whether any change is possible in the Republican-controlled legislature.

“The shooting at the Super Bowl parade is yet another reminder that no parade, no church, no school — really, nowhere at all — is safe from the gun violence crisis in our country,” Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes of Lenexa said in an email. “The only way to protect public safety in Kansas is by passing stronger gun laws.”

However, Sykes and her Democratic colleagues admit it’s unlikely anything resembling gun safety or control measures will even come up for a vote — let alone pass — this current session among the current class of Kansas lawmakers with a dominant conservative majority in both chambers of the state legislature.

With that barrier in mind, some lawmakers are calling on voters to make changes at the ballot box later this year.

Gun restrictions have failed repeatedly in Kansas Legislature

The only major gun-related bill working its way through the Kansas Legislature right now would strengthen constitutional protections for the use and possession of firearms and associated paraphernalia.

From Johnson County, Republican Reps. Owen Donahoe, Adam Thomas and Adam Turk have all sponsored that resolution. The amendment, if ultimately passed by the legislature and approved by voters, could also overturn some of the existing gun laws.

Sykes and Leawood Democrat Mari-Lynn Poskin both see that proposal to amend the constitution as a bad idea.

Another bill submitted to the Kansas House by Rep. Mike Houser, a Republican from Cherokee County, would block state resources from being used to enforce federal gun laws. That bill was introduced the day after the shooting at the Chiefs rally.

Other bills over the past few years aimed at strengthening gun regulations in Kansas have failed to advance, including a “Secure Storage” bill filed last year.

In 2021, Sykes also submitted a bill that would have required individuals convicted of domestic battery to give up their firearms, but it died in committee the following year.

Poskin told the Post in an interview this week she has “a sliver of hope” that the secure storage bill, introduced by Rep. Linda Featherston and Sen. Cindy Holscher in their respective chambers, could start moving again.

That’s because Poskin said Kansas residents have been contacting their lawmakers about it. If some more moderate members of the Republican caucus from Johnson County “would come on board,” she thinks it could be possible.

Still, passing any new gun restrictions will be an uphill battle, she admits.

“If it would have an opportunity to come to a vote, we would find out,” she said. “My guess is a simple majority would still be difficult for passage.”

That doesn’t mean lawmakers who support the effort are giving up.

“I certainly hope Republican leadership is reconsidering their unwillingness to advance gun safety legislation my colleagues and I have supported,” Sykes said. “They’ll continue to hear from us this session, just like I’m sure they’ve been hearing from their constituents back home.”

Senate President Ty Masterson of Andover, as well as Johnson County Republicans Sen. Mike Thompson, Rep. Adam Turk and Kansas House Majority Leader Chris Croft, did not respond to the Post’s request for comment.

Gov. Kelly advocates for “common sense” gun limits

Gov. Laura Kelly also supports stricter gun safety measures, and during the 2022 gubernatorial race, Moms Demand Action named her a “Gun Sense” Candidate.

Following the shooting at the Chiefs Super Bowl celebration, which she and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson both attended, Kelly called it a “senseless act of violence” on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“While Governor Kelly has long been a supporter of the 2nd amendment, she also recognizes the widespread impact of gun violence on Kansas communities — including the tragic shooting at the Chiefs rally,” Grace Hoge, communications coordinator for the governor’s office, said in an emailed statement.

Hoge added that “Governor Kelly will continue to advocate for common sense safety measures like background checks and limited access to assault weapons, and she encourages leaders across the aisle to join her in finding meaningful solutions to keep Kansas kids and families safe.”

Johnson County has seen spate of teen-involved gun crimes

Since the shooting at the Chiefs rally on the Missouri side of the metro, police took two unnamed minors into custody. They now face several gun-related charges filed by Jackson County prosecutors.

But on this side of the state line, Johnson County has also seen a number of gun-related crimes involving teens over the past few years.

Earlier this year, a 15-year-old girl from Lawrence named Brianna Higgins was shot in the Clarion Park Apartments near west 127th Street and Mur-Len Road in Olathe. She died at Olathe Medical Center from the gunshot wound, and a 17-year-old boy now faces charges of reckless second-degree murder and juvenile possession of a firearm.

At the beginning of 2022, a shooting incident in the front office at Olathe East left a student — the alleged shooter — as well as a school resource officer and an assistant principal injured. Reports later revealed the officer had likely shot the administrator while exchanging fire with the student.

Later that year, a group of Johnson County middle schoolers allegedly shot and killed 19-year-old Marco Cardino in Olathe’s Black Bob Park, a recent graduate of Shawnee Mission West.

Toward the end of 2022, five teenagers were charged in connection with the murder of Jarod Rogers in downtown Shawnee. Court records show that prosecutors have linked both that shooting and the one at Black Bob Park to drugs.

In 2023, a teenage girl survived after a 15-year-old allegedly shot her in the face in Lenexa.

Democrats look to political change for gun law efforts

Feeling blocked by their colleagues across the aisle, some Democrats from the Kansas Legislature are now looking for change at the ballot box.

“Every member of the Kansas legislature is up for re-election in 2024 and we can break the extremist NRA [A-rated] super majority,” Poskin said in an email to the Post.

Holscher, whose son attended Olathe East when the shooting in 2022 occurred, echoed those sentiments in a Capitol Update column she submitted to the Post, which was published Monday.

“If you want to have lawmakers in office who actually have the courage to act on behalf of the people, and not the gun lobby, show up for every election and support ‘Gun Sense Candidates,’” Holscher wrote. “Otherwise, this cycle of death, carnage and trauma will continue.”

Poskin is also hopeful that, given the pressure of the pending election and northeast Kansas residents’ passion for the issue, some Johnson County Republicans might feel pressured to vote for more gun safety measures.

“The tide is turning,” she said.

Sykes echoed some of those sentiments, adding that “Kansas families should be able to celebrate in public without the threat of being shot.”

“We can’t continue to accept routine, preventable gun violence as normal,” Sykes said. “Making our state a safer place should not be political or divisive.”

But, in the end, Poskin is encouraging people who feel empowered about the issue of guns to put in the work to send lawmakers to the Legislature who share their ideals.

“All of the Johnson Countians who are clamoring for action, they can and should identify which races are vulnerable and pledge their time, talent and treasure to those races,” Poskin said. “It’s up to the people who want change to go out and activate and bring us colleagues that will help us work on these public safety solutions.”

Keep reading: Johnson County counselors help navigate trauma of Super Bowl rally shooting