Gun control in America is a controversial topic that is heavily split along partisan lines, with Republicans favoring little to no gun control and Democrats favoring more strict gun laws.

The Republicans hold firm to the party platform in Missouri, a red state. Gun control laws have relaxed over time and are projected to continue to relax. Gun owners in Missouri can carry concealed firearms in public and retail stores. Universal background checks are not necessary, and most recently, the state legislature has allowed open carry of firearms on college campuses. 

Supporters of the Second Amendment argue that open carry is their right, as the Constitution provides. Those fighting for stricter gun laws argue that the Second Amendment was not meant to allow people to carry weapons openly or in potentially dangerous places. Research has shown that it can be a significant source of anxiety for the general public. Having young people and vulnerable children see guns displayed in public and private spaces can breed anxiety and internal hostilities.

There is also a racial angle, as it is predominantly white men walking the streets with firearms - reminiscent of the antebellum South where these men would be enforcers, bringing escaped enslaved people back to the plantations. Seeing such imagery in the 21st century evokes memories of America's racist past.

Missouri has one of the highest per capita gun-related deaths, so it sparks a debate about the strictness of the state's gun laws. America was a product of a private militia - the ragtag band of private men and women who came together to fight the British were not necessarily soldiers but everyday men and women.

This fighting spirit provoked the founding fathers to enshrine private gun ownership in the Constitution - to prevent the government from becoming an authoritarian state. The ambiguity of the amendment has led many states, including Missouri, to interpret it as unchecked gun ownership for all.

So, the question for debate is, should gun laws in Missouri be more strict?