Lillian Tweten on August 23, 2023
Republican legislators in Missouri attacked an announcement made by Democratic St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones on Tuesday about legislation that would ban AK-47s and AR-15s in the city, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
Jones said she will introduce the bill in the next few days, stating that it will include additional measures to prevent random gunfire on holidays and stop minors from obtaining guns, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Jones’ announcement sparked instant reactions from Republican legislators, who argued that the legislation will go against the Missouri Constitution and the Second Amendment.
“She can talk all she wants,” Republican state Rep. Jim Murphy said, according to the Post-Dispatch. “She has no right to do it.”
Attorney General George Bailey argued in a letter posted on social media that the mayor should focus on enforcing current St. Louis laws instead of proposing new legislation that may not work, the Post-Dispatch reported.
“It is my hope that you will reverse course and use existing law to combat the crime plaguing your city, rather than choosing to target the rights of law-abiding Missourians,” Bailey said, according to a press release published by his office. “In other words, I encourage you to go after criminals, not guns.”
But Jones argued in her announcement that the new legislation would reduce gun violence in the city.
“Gun violence is a public health crisis that impacts families and communities in every neighborhood across our city,” Jones said, according to Fox2Now. “We’re coming together around a shared vision: A safer, stronger St. Louis that is ready to stand up for our values.”
Although several mass shooters have used AR-15s and AK-47s to commit their crimes, most street shootings do not involve these larger guns, according to the Post-Dispatch. Ninety percent of guns confiscated in 2022 by St. Louis police officers were pistols, potentially limiting the impact of Jones’ proposed legislation.
This announcement follows Jones’ signing of another gun law on Aug. 3 that prohibits open carry without a concealed carry permit, according to a press release from the Mayor’s Office.
The Mayor’s Office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
