Missouri governor vetoes school safety initiative to fund gun detection surveillance systems

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri – Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Friday vetoed funding for a school safety initiative that would have used video surveillance software to detect weapons, becoming the second governor in as many months to refuse to implement the technology.

The Republican governor’s rejection of the proposed $2.5 million public school grant program was one of 173 item vetoes he announced as he signed a roughly $50 billion state budget for the fiscal year that begins Monday. -fair. The ban on gun detection subsidies came after Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, killed a $5 million appropriation for a similar program.

The budget bills in both states were supported by ZeroEyes, a technology company founded by military veterans after the fatal accident shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. ZeroEyes uses surveillance cameras and artificial intelligence to locate armed people and alert school administrators and police.

While other companies also offer gun surveillance systems, Kansas legislation included a long list of specific criteria that ZeroEyes’ competitors do not currently meet. Missouri’s budget bill was less specific, but still included several criteria that ZeroEyes met.

In a letter to lawmakers explaining his veto, Parson said “this appropriation appears to describe a specific vendor platform” and noted that the Department of Public Safety must follow state procurement laws “rather than contract with a specific vendor.” Parson also said he was vetoing the measure due to the general need to cut spending, among other things.

A ZeroEyes spokesperson said no one was available to comment on Friday.

Several other states, including Iowa, Michigan and Utah, have already enacted laws that fund firearm detection technology in schools.

After numerous high-profile shootings, school security has become a multibillion-dollar industry. Several states have also provided funding to equip personnel with mobile panic buttons and to digitally map school buildings to help faster responses from police, firefighters and emergency medical personnel.

In all, Parson said, he made about $1 billion in line-item vetoes to the budget.

One veto was for a $497 million transfer for Capitol renovations, saying it was not yet needed because detailed plans were not in place.

Another rejected $150 million of a total of $727 earmarked for improving and expanding Interstate 44, which runs from St. Louis to the Oklahoma border.

Parson also reduced $6 million set aside for future National Guard missions on the U.S. southern border. Missouri troops sent to the Texas border have already returned, Parson said. He left $2 million in the budget for possible future missions.

Also eliminated were several smaller items that Parson called “unnecessary pet projects.”