St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones will introduce new legislation that would ban AR-15s, AK-47s, and similar “military-grade” weapons on city streets.
In a Tuesday morning press conference, Jones announced her intent to introduce new gun safety regulations with support from the Board of Aldermen.
Jones said the legislation would be designed to:
- Prohibit military-grade weapons on city streets
- Prevent the transfer or sale of guns to minors
- Take action on military-grade guns and similar untraceable firearms
- Prepare St. Louis for the passage of Blair’s Law to ban celebratory gunfire
- Prohibit anyone convicted of insurrection or hate crimes from having guns in St. Louis
“My daughter was killed with a military-style weapon, which was an AK-47. People of the military know what type of impact those type of weapons do,” said Erica Jones, whose daughter, Whitney, was murdered on Aug. 13, 2015, in the Walnut Park area.
She said Whitney, 24, was the mother of a five-year-old. She was studying to become a nurse and worked two jobs.
“Her oldest sister held her when she took her last words,” Erica Jones said. She said the crime remains unsolved.
