Status: Enacted. Missouri’s FY2025 state budget, signed by Governor Mike Parson in 2024, included a $2.5 million appropriation for AI firearm detection software in Missouri public schools. The Missouri Department of Public Safety has implemented vendor certification and continues to maintain a list of approved providers as of May 2026.
Bill Number: Missouri FY2025 State Budget (school firearm detection appropriation, $2.5M)
Jurisdiction: Missouri
Category: K-12 School Safety Funding, AI Firearm Detection
Industries: K-12 Education, State and Local Government
Enacted Date: 2024 (FY2025 budget enactment)
Effective Date: July 1, 2024 (FY2025) with the Department of Public Safety required to certify approved vendors before August 1, 2024
Summary: Missouri’s FY2025 state budget — part of a $51 billion appropriations package — designated $2.5 million for AI gun detection software for Missouri public schools. The appropriation directs the Missouri Department of Public Safety (DPS) to certify and publish a list of approved AI firearm detection vendors before August 1, 2024, with statutory criteria designed to limit eligibility to mature, accredited providers. The DPS-published vendor list governs which technologies Missouri school districts may purchase using these state funds. Missouri joins Tennessee, Iowa, Kansas, and Florida among the first states with dedicated state funding for AI weapons detection in schools, while sitting at the lower end of the state-funding range alongside Tennessee’s pilot allocation.
Key Provisions:
- $2.5 Million Appropriation: Dedicated state funding for AI firearm detection software in Missouri public schools through the FY2025 budget cycle.
- DPS Certification: The Missouri Department of Public Safety must certify and provide districts with a list of approved AI firearm detection software vendors before August 1, 2024.
- DHS SAFETY Act Requirement: Approved vendors must hold a Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology (or higher-tier) designation from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under the SAFETY Act.
- 24/7 Staffed Operations Center Requirement: Approved vendors must operate a directly managed, 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week operations center staffed by trained analysts responsible for reviewing detection alerts and routing verified events to schools and law enforcement.
- Existing Camera Integration: The program is structured around AI software that runs on a district’s existing IP camera infrastructure rather than requiring new hardware.
Affected Entities: All Missouri public school districts eligible to participate under the DPS-published program rules. The combination of SAFETY Act and 24/7-analyst-staffing requirements functionally limits the eligible vendor pool to a narrow set of operators.
Funding Outlook: The initial $2.5 million covers a portion of statewide deployment. Future Missouri budget cycles will determine whether the program is extended, expanded, or restructured. Missouri districts that exceed state award coverage layer in federal SVPP, NSGP, COPS, and local capital budgets, plus private grants and bond initiatives for security infrastructure.
IntelliSee Relevance: High. Missouri’s program is built around AI gun detection software on existing cameras — the precise procurement pattern IntelliSee’s AI weapon detection was designed to serve. The statutory eligibility criteria (SAFETY Act designation and 24/7 staffed analyst operations) functionally narrow the vendor pool and reward providers that combine AI detection with continuous human verification. Districts evaluating long-term AI security strategy should weigh detection capability beyond firearms (falls, aggressive behavior, unattended-object scenarios), false-positive rates and analyst response timing, and total cost of ownership across heterogeneous camera infrastructure. IntelliSee’s privacy-preserving architecture (no facial recognition) and its capacity to operate across diverse facility types are also material procurement considerations for Missouri districts.
Related Legislation & Resources
- Iowa School Firearm Detection Software Grant Program (HF 2586, 2024)
- Kansas School Firearm Detection Pilot Program (2025 Appropriations, $10M)
- Tennessee AI Weapons Detection in Schools Grant Pilot (SB 814 / HB 933)
- Florida Use of Artificial Intelligence to Detect Concealed Firearms (CS/HB 491)
- Georgia HB 1023 - Mandatory Weapons Detection in Public Schools
- K-12 AI Gun Detection: The 2026 Sector Playbook
- The DHS SAFETY Act in AI Security: Designation, Certification, and What It Actually Means
- IntelliSee AI Gun Detection