By: José Niño
St. Louis County Council Chairwoman Shalonda Webb believes that it’s time for local public officials to pass gun control, instead of waiting for Congress to pass anti-gun legislation.
Webb cited the open carry ban that St. Louis alderwoman Cara Spencer pushed forward back in July as a model to follow. This legislation eventually received unanimous approval from the city’s Board of Aldermen. Webb wants this legislation to be implemented in St. Louis County.
“We need legislation that is comprehensive, that will allow us to keep our communities safe and also allow the police and the law enforcement to be able to safely do their jobs,” Webb stated.
Kansas City currently has a prohibition on open carry. Webb also noted that she is reviewing legislation Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has put forward. Said legislation would bar minors from buying ammunition without a parent’s consent and prohibit devices known as switches that have the ability of converting handguns into automatic weapons.
Missouri has been improving with respect to gun policy in the last decade or so. It passed Constitutional Carry in 2016, which granted law-abiding citizens to carry a firearm for self-defense without having to get a permit. Subsequently, Missouri lawmakers passed the Second Amendment Preservation Act (SAPA) in 2021, which bars state agencies from cooperating with the federal government to enforce any law, regulation, or rule that violates the Second Amendment.
Unsurprisingly, the passage of these pro-gun reforms has improved Missouri’s pro-gun profile. Per Guns & Ammo magazine’s latest rankings for “Best States for Gun Owners,” Missouri enjoys a 17th place ranking. That progress could be for naught if rogue local governments start implementing their own gun control policies in complete violation of Missouri’s preemption policy.
The gun control crowd understands that all politics start locally. By capturing city governments, they can then move on to topple county and state governments. It’s all about momentum here. To ensure that the anti-gunners don’t get enough momentum to make their policies a national reality, pro-gun forces must immediately halt their anti-gun schemes at the local level.
José Niño is a freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. Contact him via Facebook, Twitter, or email him at [email protected]. Get his e-book, The 10 Myths of Gun Control, here. Subscribe to his Substack newsletter here.