Politics

Missouri's Approved Gun Bills: Concealed-Carry Permits Easier to Get, Record-Keeping Banned

The legislative session in Missouri is finally over. And after months of heated debates on guns, lawmakers have sent controversial bills to the governor that would dramatically change the concealed-carry permit application process -- and increase protections for gun owners. That is, these bills ma ... More >>

All Politics Is Racial: The tiny north-county hamlet of Vinita Park puts a new spin on the old adage

Will Missouri GOP's Gun Owner Privacy Efforts Make State Vulnerable to Terrorism, Fraud?

The debate around the privacy of gun owners has dominated the legislature this session, with Republican lawmakers' persistent outcry regarding record-keeping in the state. The worry is that the Missouri license bureau, under the direction of Democratic Governor Jay Nixon, could be collecting and st ... More >>

Republican Senator Says Missouri Can't Really Ban All Federal Gun-Control Laws In Advance

Update below: Republican State Senator Kurt Schaefer is a big believer in the Second Amendment and has even proposed a constitutional amendment in Missouri that would make the right to bear arms even stronger. But that doesn't mean he's a huge fan of a pro-gun bill that has earned Missouri national ... More >>

Missouri Lobbyists Will Work for Booze? The "Liquor Wars" at the Legislature Intensify

One of the more intense fights at the Missouri legislature in the final weeks of the session centers on a proposal to reform government regulation of the alcohol industry; it's controversial enough that some lobbyists and lawmakers in Jefferson City now refer to it as the "liquor wars." Critics sa ... More >>

Roy Blunt's Gun Lobby Support: Does "Receipt" Explain No Vote on Background Checks?

Last month, we reported that U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican, voted against a federal background checks proposal -- with a statement saying, "We must do everything we can to prevent tragedies like those that took place in Newtown, Aurora or Tucson." Now, a national advocacy group pus ... More >>

Rep. Casey Guernsey: Gun Control Is Not Constitutional Even if Barack Obama Says It Is

As we've reported, Missouri lawmakers are aggressively pushing forward with their effort to make it illegal to enforce any federal firearm laws in the state with a proposal that Republican supporters say is a bold statement against gun control. Critics say it's an absurd, unconstitutional move to ba ... More >>

Lewis Reed Slams Cuts to City Cable Channel, Mayor Francis Slay Says Police More Important

Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed is attacking Mayor Francis Slay with a press release that feels very much like it's election season all over again. Slay, who had his formal inauguration last week -- kicking off his historic fourth term -- has proposed to cut funding to the city's official cab ... More >>

Caleb Rowden Courts Gun Industry: "Missouri is an Ideal Location for Your Firearms Business"

No one will try and grab your guns in Missouri! Such is the underlying message of a letter from Republican State Representative Caleb Rowden, who is trying to woo gun companies to bring their business to Missouri, a state that does not tolerate any threats to the Second Amendment. "Missouri's Re ... More >>

Adolphus Busch IV Quits NRA; Slams Gun Rights Organization for "Distorted Values"

In a letter to the National Rifle Association that was also forwarded to KSDK Channel 5 News reporter Leisa Zigman, one of the heirs to the Anhesuer-Busch fortune took a surprising stand against the powerful gun rights organization. Adolphus Busch IV, eldest son of August "Gussie" Busch, Jr., was a ... More >>

Roy Blunt, No on Background Checks: "We Must Do Everything We Can to Prevent Tragedies"

U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican, yesterday voted against a proposal to expand gun background checks in the country. Then he fired off this statement, that said, in part: "We must do everything we can to prevent tragedies like those that took place in Newtown, Aurora, or Tucson..." Bl ... More >>

After GOP Gun Privacy Outcry, Jay Nixon Says Missouri Won't Scan Concealed-Carry Docs

The outrage from Missouri Republicans around alleged violations of gun owner privacy has apparently had an impact on the state's top officials. Yesterday, Department of Revenue Director Brian Long resigned amid accusations that his agency has maintained personal records of concealed-carry permit a ... More >>

St. Louis Cannabis Conference: Pro-Legalization Police Officer Says "The Public is Waking Up"

Tony Ryan, who served as a police officer for more than three decades, says he's never smoked marijuana in his life -- but now, post-retirement, he's devoting much of his energy to the cause of legalization. "Marijuana is one of the most enforced of the illegal drugs, even though it's the absolute ... More >>

Guns: GOP Pushes To Make Concealed-Carry Permit Process Easier, Protect Privacy

Missouri Republicans are pushing forward with a privacy bill to block the state from maintaining personal records -- and in the process have introduced an amendment that supporters say will make it easier to get concealed-carry permits. That proposal from State Senator Ed Emery would eliminate the ... More >>

GOP Gun Bill: Businesses That Ban Weapons Are Liable For Injuries on Their Premises

How do you reduce the number of gun-free businesses in Missouri? Make it a lot easier to sue them. That seems to be thinking of of a new proposal from Republican representative Caleb Jones, who wants private businesses that post signs banning guns to be liable for injuries that occur on their prop ... More >>

Gun Violence: Missouri One of Worst States With High Crime Rates, Weak Laws (REPORT)

Though top Republicans in Missouri are devoting a lot of time and money to protect the privacy of gun owners, a new report says that officials in the state have a much bigger problem they need to address: really high rates of gun violence supported by very weak laws. The Center for American Progre ... More >>

Lewis Reed is Back on Social Media, Says He'll Run Again...For Board of Aldermen President

Last month, Lewis Reed, president of the Board of Aldermen, lost his challenge to St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay -- but within minutes of his concession speech, told us that he will run for mayor again. Part of his explanation was that he doesn't think he can effect the kind of change he wants to i ... More >>

O'Fallon Wants to Block Federal Gun Control With Bill to "Stop the Tyranny of...Government"

What's with all the Second Amendment bashing? That's the underlying question that O'Fallon City Councilman Jim Pepper says prompted him to propose a local bill that would block federal gun control measures. That's right, members of the City Council are pushing a municipal proposal to stop the enf ... More >>

"Stan Span" Plan Nearly Law: Musial Bridge Tribute Gets Unanimous Support in U.S. Senate

U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, and Roy Blunt, a Republican, don't usually agree on much of anything -- but they can come together for Stan the Man. And thus the rare press release yesterday quoting both Missouri senators, who are championing the unanimous passage this week in the U.S. ... More >>

Ellisville Mayor Adam Paul Takes Lie Detector Test to Prove He Didn't Drink Vodka On the Job

Ellisville Mayor Adam Paul, according to a lie detector test he took, did not drink vodka at city hall -- but given the long list of allegations he is facing from city officials trying to impeach him, he could probably use a drink. The accusations from city officials include cursing, drinking at m ... More >>

Thousands Sign Petition to Stop Pro-Gun Publicity Stunt Bills: "Get Serious Or Go Home"

A Missouri bill to stop bills that force others not to introduce certain kind of bills? Almost. Representative Stacey Newman, a Democrat who has been very vocal on gun control, has collected thousands of signatures on a petition to urge lawmakers and legislative leaders to quit introducing pro-gun ... More >>

Guns: Kurt Schaefer Wants Constitutional Change to Make Right to Bear Arms Stronger

Republican lawmakers in Missouri are pushing forward with yet another bill designed to fight against any gun control -- only this one requires direct buy-in from voters. That's because Republican State Senator Kurt Schaefer wants to change the Missouri constitution. "The rights [to bear arms] gu ... More >>

Guns: Dems Promote Poll Showing 85 Percent of Missourians Want Universal Background Checks

The Missouri legislature is full of pro-gun, anti-gun control, keep-your-hands-off-my-guns GOP proposals this season -- everything from a bill to stop Obama to legislation criminalizing lawmakers who even suggest gun control. In this climate, Democrats' gun bills are getting nowhere. But that does ... More >>

Stan Musial Bridge, Andy Gammon Highway: Compromise in Mississippi River Project?

Elected officials in Missouri don't always get along and sometimes aren't great at compromise -- but when it comes to the late, great Stan Musial, everyone can agree, right? As we've reported, the debate about what to name the Mississippi River bridge heated up in the aftermath of the passing of the ... More >>

Violence Against Women Act: Why Is Senator Roy Blunt Still Opposing? LGBT Protections?

One of the more heated battles in D.C. this year so far centers around the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, a measure that provides protection for victims of domestic violence. Congress failed to extend it last year, but it's now under consideration at the House -- after it passed ... More >>

GOP Rep. Mike Leara Wants To Make It A Felony For Legislators To Propose Gun Control

Instead of literally opening fire on gun control bills, why not just ban them all together? This is the thinking behind a new Missouri gun bill introduced yesterday with a pretty simple message: If you propose a gun control measure, you will be guilty of a class D felony. Take that, Democrats! I ... More >>

Hosed: A plan to overhaul the St. Louis Water Division leaves the Slay administration all wet

Roy Blunt on Missouri Gun Control Proposal: "Big Step Away From The Second Amendment"

Yesterday, we reported that State Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal, a Democrat, is pushing gun legislation that would force parents to notify school officials if they own firearms. It's one of many proposals that is sparking controversy at the state level as federal officials continue to debate what ki ... More >>

Maria Chappelle-Nadal's Gun Proposal: Parents Must Notify Schools If They Own Firearms

Missouri made headlines last month when Colonel Tim Fitch of the St. Louis County Police Department proposed arming local school officials in the wake of the devastating elementary school shooting in Connecticut. But State Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal, a Democrat who represents University City, is ... More >>

Lewis Reed v. Francis Slay: Did the Mayor Attack his Opponent by Reducing Wife's Hours?

Political motives prompted the office of St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay to reduce the hours of Mary Entrup, a housing court judge who just so happens to be the wife of Aldermanic President Lewis Reed -- who is running for mayor. So says Lewis Reed, who, in a chat with Daily RFT, slammed the mayor's of ... More >>

As Pols Talk Tighter Gun Control, A Look at 5 Fast and Loose Firearms Laws in Missourah

Nothing wrong with a night of bullets and booze... at least in Missouri. In the wake of last week's school shooting in Newtown, Conn., St. Louis County Police Colonel Tim Fitch has said he'd like to see school officials and teachers carry concealed weapons to prevent such tragedies . Such a move w ... More >>

RFT Founder Ray Hartmann Really Lets the NRA Have It

Some you readers are gun-rights absolutists. We know this from the comments you leave on our blog posts. Thus you may be interested to know that on Friday,  just hours after a deranged young man shot and killed 27 people (including 20 children) in a Connecticut school, Riverfront Times' founde ... More >>

Don't Worry, Illinois Will Not Become A Gun-Crazed Dystopia

Yesterday, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the state of Illinois' ban against concealed-carry. (We've posted the decision online here.) Illinois was the last state to have such a ban. If the Land of Lincoln doesn't appeal to keep it on the books, then lawmakers will have six months ... More >>

Alderwoman Krewson Will Make Her Case Today for Shining a Light on Dark Money

In Missouri, anybody can donate as much as they want to a political campaign, as long as they disclose who they are with the state Ethics Commission. Well, anybody except 501(c)(4) "social welfare" corporations. These non-profits are not required by any law to reveal where they get their cash, but c ... More >>

Missourians File Petition With White House to Secede From Union

Missouri has joined a growing list of states petitioning the federal government for secession in the wake of President Obama's reelection. Residents in at least 20 states have posted petitions on the White House's "We the People" website. "We the People" allows anyone to suggest a policy initiativ ... More >>

Proxy Twitter War Between Mayor Francis Slay and Board President Lewis Reed Heats Up

As Board of Alderman President Lewis Reed prepares to announce today he'll run against Mayor Francis Slay in the election next spring, their respective camps are increasingly battling it out on "the Twitter."

Why We Must Shrink the Board of Aldermen: Our Q&A with Scott Ogilvie

In a few hours, St. Louis' 28 elected aldermen will march into City Hall for a new session of law-making. But one of the biggest reforms this year lies in our hands, fellow voters. This November, we must decide whether to completely redraw our political map and cut the board down to a much leaner 14 ... More >>

St. Louis County Board of Elections is 1,000 Poll Workers Short for November

With the Democratic National Convention kicking off last night and some old crazy guy yelling at a chair last week, it's beginning to look a lot like election season everywhere you go. Only, there's a teensy problem going on at the St. Louis County Board of Elections: They're about a thousand poll ... More >>

ACLU Challenges Amendment 2, But Not Because of Why You're Thinking

On Tuesday, Missourians overwhelmingly voted for Amendment 2, more commonly known as the "right to pray" amendment. The amendment ensures that everybody in the state has the right to express their religious beliefs, acknowledge God in public, and pray whether they're in a school, public building or ... More >>

Primary Results: Akin to Face McCaskill, Clay Trounces Carnahan, Jones Wins City Treasurer

Yesterday's Missouri primary resulted in a few surprises. The biggest, perhaps, was Congressman Lacy Clay's stunning victory over Congressman Russ Carnahan for Missouri's First Congressional District that includes all of St. Louis and much of the county. Clay garnered 63.2 percent of the vote to Car ... More >>

Odds Stacked Against Black Candidates, According to Some Operatives

If black candidates do not win these elections, where the odds are stacked against them, St. Louis, a city that is roughly 50 percent African American, will have no black representatives in Congress, the Missouri Senate or in the state House.

Canadian Chippewa Indian Sues Missouri for Right of Legal Residents to Carry Concealed Gun

Quiz for conservative extremists: Which do you hate more, foreigners or gun-control? Well here's a court case that might explode your brain. On Tuesday -- with gun sales surging in the wake of the Aurora, Colorado shootings -- Edward F. Plastino filed a lawsuit in the federal courthouse downtown. He ... More >>

Mo. Speaker-Designate Tim Jones on Aurora Shooting: Let's Fight Violence with More Guns

State Representative Tim Jones (R-Eureka) went on KMOX 1120AM yesterday to talk about how laxer gun laws might have abated the shooting in Colorado... oh and also to slam those selfish, dirty hippies who would dare politicize [i.e. talk about reforming gun control laws] this completely unrelated tra ... More >>

Maplewood's Ban on Food Trucks Elicits Saucy Response

On Tuesday, June 12, the Maplewood city council voted against allowing food trucks to operate in the municipality. Of the six council members present -- one member was absent (more on him in a bit) -- four voted that they were either against or mostly against mobile food vendors in their neighborhoo ... More >>

Ask a Mexican: What's up with Mexicans changing their names on a whim?

Straight Shootin': The firepower at the NRA convention is incredible, just like the rhetoric

Mayor Blasts NRA Leadership at Start of St. Louis Convention

As thousands of gun-loving Americans (and the politicians who crave their votes, including GOP-presidential candidates Mit Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum) descend on St. Louis today for the start of the NRA Annual Convention, one city mayor isn't having any of it. Conveniently that mayor is ... More >>

St. Charles GOP Caucus Goes Big for Ron Paul

Well, that was comparatively easy. On the day Rick Santorum suspended his presidential campaign, the St. Charles County Republicans picked Ron Paul as their man at the party's do-over shot at a caucus. There were no arrests, no embarrassment and no cries of unfair tactics.But Paul's victory last nig ... More >>

St. Louis Firefighters' Pension Argument Fails Bullshit Detector

​Earlier this week Chris Molitor, president of the firefighters' union Local 73, wrote a guest commentary in the Post-Dispatch criticizing Mayor Francis Slay's push to reform the firefighters' pension. The pension, btw, now accounts for a third of the fire department's total budget, has more than ... More >>

John Ashcroft Endorses Mitt Romney

We know you're all on the edge of your seats on this Super Tuesday morning waiting to see who former Missouri Governor and U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft decides to support in the Republican primaries. If you believed that Ashcroft, an evangelical Christian who reportedly doesn't drink, dance ... More >>