St. Louis Board of Aldermen passes bill banning open carry on guns; state law changes need to ‘trigger’ ordinance
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - On Friday, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen passed Board Bill 107, which bans the open carry of guns in the city.
The bill prohibits anyone from openly displaying a firearm, with a few exceptions. Members of law enforcement are excluded from the legislation.
This summer the board passed another bill on gun control. It blocked anyone without a conceal and carry permit from carrying a firearm out in the open. Meaning almost everyone age 18 and under could be ticketed or fined if they are seen openly carrying a firearm.
The aldermen acknowledge Bill Board 107 conflicts with state law. Voters need to pass a ballot measure allowing local municipalities control over their gun laws or a legislation proposed by the Republican-majority legislature in Jefferson City to allow the ordinance to go into effect.
There are currently three ballot initiatives filed with the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office proposing local control for gun control versus state control. More than 171,000 signatures are needed to get an initiative on an election ballot.
“We’re being proactive and no being so reactionary a lot of times when it comes to legislation,” Board Bill 107 Rasheen Aldridge said. “It’s technically not effective unless a ballot initiative goes into place. The people always overrule elected officials and that’s the great thing about the initiative petition process. I believe in the Second Amendment, but this about not just the Second Amendment, this is about ensuring that we have responsible gun owners.”
“There’s zero chance that the legislature is going to allow this infringement on the Second Amendment to go into effect,” Missouri Senator Bill Eigel said. “They’re spending their time focusing on infringing on the rights of law abiding citizens instead of getting to the root cause of crime. I’m never going to give up the fight no matter what happens in any given election.”
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones plans to sign the legislation. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been a staunch opponent of the city’s efforts on gun control. His office didn’t respond to First Alert 4′s request for comment as of Friday night.
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