Alderwoman Cara Spencer, Alderman Rasheen Aldridge and President of the Board of Aldermen Megan Green
A bill that would limit who can open carry guns in St. Louis city has divided leaders at the Board of Aldermen.
Ward 8 Alderwoman Cara Spencer previously told the RFT that her Board Bill 29 would require that someone possess a concealed carry permit if they want to openly carry a gun within city limits.
She said that Kansas City currently has a similar law on its books and that in St. Louis it could be one of the few ways in to implement gun control in a sate with incredibly lax gun laws. She added the law could be a "game-changer" for downtown, which along with other neighborhoods has consistently had issues with people casually toting around guns.
"This is a tool we badly need," Spencer said.
According to a Post-Dispatch article from Friday, Ward 11 Alderwoman Laura Keys and Tom Oldenburg, who represents Ward 2, back Spencer's proposal.
However, at a Public Safety Committee meeting on Thursday, Ward 7 Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier said that she found aspects of the proposed legislation "alarming," specifically the idea that police officers would engage with a person openly displaying a weapon just to give a citation.
Alderman Rasheen Aldridge, whose Ward 14 includes portions of downtown, compared the proposal to stop and frisk laws and said he worried it would lead to more chaos on city streets.
"We have historically seen just in this city when there's guns and, I'm going to be real, with people of color and law enforcement interaction, 80 percent of the time that situation turns deadly," Aldridge said.
At a press conference, video of which was taken by Gregg Palermo of Spectrum Local News, President of the Board of Aldermen Megan Green said that Kansas City police don't actually enforce their city's version of the law because "they are concerned about the legality of it and being sued if they did enforce it." She added that officers there have expressed concerns about approaching individuals with firearms.
Spencer rebutted, "They haven't needed to enforce it because the open carrying of firearms hasn't become common place there."
Spencer added that she had spoken to a "wide swath" of SLMPD personnel who are in favor of the bill.
"It is not safe or healthy for anybody to be walking down the street with an AR15," Spencer said. We welcome tips and feedback. Email the author at [email protected]
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