ST. LOUIS — At a roundtable discussing gun violence on Tuesday, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones revealed that she recently lost a young member of her own family.
Jones said that 7-year-old Darnell Macon, who accidentally shot himself earlier this month in Berkeley after getting ahold of his grandfather's gun, was her cousin. Jones asked for condolences as she prepared for Macon's upcoming funeral.
"Gun violence is a plague. Its painful touch has stung families across the region," Jones said. "Their experiences are sadly not unique. I’ve been open about how gun violence has affected my family. The 7-year-old who accidentally shot himself a few weeks ago was my cousin. And now my family is dealing with a dual crisis, the pain of burying our baby and the overwhelming despair of his grandfather.”
It's the second time in recent years that Jones has lost a family member to gun violence. In 2021, Jones' 27-year-old cousin was one of two women killed in a Ferguson shooting.
Tuesday's roundtable, held at Friendly Temple Church in north St. Louis, brought together gun violence survivors and advocates to discuss the toll of gun violence on the community with city officials, including the city's mayor, the police chief, violence protection director and several aldermen.
Following the listening session, Jones announced the mayor's office is collaborating with city aldermen who plan to introduce several new gun safety measures in the coming days.
"We come together around a shared vision: a safer, stronger St. Louis, ready to stand up for our values," Jones said in a statement released following the roundtable. "We know Missourians are demanding state-level action to pass measures like red-flag laws and background checks, but we are ready to try every tool available to us at the local level to protect families from gun violence."
Jones' office released a list of anticipated legislation, which comes after the mayor signed a bill into law regulating open carry earlier this month.
The list includes:
- Prohibit military-grade weapons on city streets
- Prevent the transfer or sale of guns to minors
- Take action on 'ghost guns' and similar untraceable firearms
- Prepare St. Louis for the passage of Blair's Law, which would elevate charges for celebratory gunfire
- Prohibit insurrectionists and those convicted of hate crimes from having guns
The St. Louis Board of Aldermen returns to session on Sept. 15.