ST. LOUIS – A new gun ban in the City of St. Louis appears to be working, according to police, even though officers are not yet enforcing it.
Open carry of firearms is legal in Missouri but it is now illegal in St. Louis for those under the age of 19.
The word on the street apparently spreads faster than the implementation of the law. There is often a lag in police enforcing new laws as they work out the procedures and policies on how to enforce them and meet reporting requirements included in the ordinance.
That’s happening with this ban on open carry for juveniles, according to the police.
Even so, the word about the ban is already out and the impact is noticeable.
“Absolutely,” Alderwoman Cara Spencer said. “Word travels fast.”
You just don’t see young people openly carrying guns in St. Louis like you did before Mayor Tishaura Jones signed Spencer’s bill into law in August.
Police notice the impact, too.
“The officers on the street are kind of seeing a similar experience where before you may have seen somebody openly carrying a firearm,” St. Louis Police Sergeant Charles Wall said. “This ordinance is another tool we can use.”
State law says cities can require concealed carry permits for open carry and that any permit holder must be at least 19 unless they are members of the military. St. Louis’s new law fits snugly into those parameters.
It requires such permits and if you have to be 19 to get one, then open carry is effectively banned for those age 18 and under. Violators can face up to a $500 fine and 30 days in jail.
“It’s not only that it’s against the law. With this bill, the police have the right to take the weapon and process it. That’s a big hurdle,” Ald. Spencer said. “These weapons cost money. People don’t want to go have to get their gun back from the police department.”
“So, now it’s very clear that juveniles should not be openly carrying firearms period under this ordinance, because they don’t meet the age requirement to possess a concealed-carry permit,” Sgt. Wall said. “Therefore, they have no lawful authority to openly carry a firearm within the jurisdiction of the City of St. Louis.”
“That’s a big win for all of us,” Spencer said. “This is an issue that makes people feel like they can’t leave their homes… the act of carrying a firearm visibly, in and of itself, is an aggressive act. Curbing that aggressive visual is important to the health and well-being and the sort of mental health of our community.”
Certainly, the prevalence of guns remains. Gun homicides are “up” so far this year in the city and St. Louis police are on similar pace to last year when they took more than 2,300 guns off the streets (more than six every day, on average) but things are starting to look and feel little different.
St. Louis Police say they’ll be ready to actually begin enforcing the new gun ban ‘in short order’.
Andy Banker reports weeknights for FOX 2 News and co-anchors FOX 2 News on Saturday and Sunday Mornings. More from this author.
Comments are closed.