Two new laws are now on the books for the City of St. Louis to reduce gun violence and increase police accountability.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones signed the two bills, BB29 and BB82, into law Thursday afternoon, the mayor’s office said in a press release. BB29 prohibits people from openly carrying firearms unless they have a concealed carry permit. BB82 mandates that police officers must identify themselves with their name and badge number during consent searches, along with forcing officers to explain the reason for the said search.
“My office has been preparing further commonsense gun safety legislation, and we look forward to partnering with the board on their return to help protect St. Louis families,” Jones said.
This may not be the last bill focused on gun control St. Louis sees in the near future. St. Louis County Council chair Shalonda Webb recently announced she is pursuing local ordinances to combat gun violence just hours after the Kansas City mayor and Jones addressed reporters following a Moms Demand Action conference in Kansas City.
“When I see someone doing their due diligence to come up with real solutions, I feel like it’s my responsibility to say, ‘Hey, how can we engage? How can we also provide that benefit to St. Louis County residents?’” she asked.
Kansas City passed an ordinance in 2016 banning people from openly carrying guns, but has reportedly only had to enforce its open carry ban a handful of times and seldom seizes guns.
“What we try to do is give people an opportunity to correct their behavior before we start making arrests and putting people in jail,” Brad Lemon, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, previously told 5 On Your Side.
