ST. LOUIS, Missouri — Local political leaders are calling for a combination of public safety improvements to reduce the risk of gun violence after a mass shooting erupted in a shared co-working office space in a downtown building this weekend.
The horrific images of frightened teens running for their lives, some of them nursing fresh gunshot wounds, shocked local leaders into holding a press conference in the middle of Father's Day on Sunday.
"We need to create more opportunities and safe spaces for our young people," Mayor Tishaura Jones (D-St. Louis) said on Sunday. "And I hope our civic, nonprofit, corporate and philanthropic partners in our region will match or exceed our efforts because it's clear that this is a regional problem and our solutions must be regional as well."
The proposed solutions, however, run the gamut to include everything from stronger social support and educational programs, more stringent regulations on gun sales and property rentals and more pro-active, preventative enforcement from police and community violence interrupters.
"Despite a bipartisan push this session, and the hard work of the St. Louis delegation, the Missouri legislature failed to restrict minors from carrying guns, a common sense solution to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of children," Jones said. "The legislature's lack of action on gun safety laws encourages the proliferation of guns on our streets and puts our responding officers directly in harm's way."
Had the legislature enacted those changes, police officers would've had probable cause and legal grounds to approach a minor and question them about their firearms.
Under a separate proposal from Alderwoman Cara Spencer (D-8th Ward) that would exploit a loophole in state law, St. Louis police could potentially fine anyone who carries guns openly in public without a state-issued concealed carry permit and seize or "safe harbor" their weapons until their case is adjudicated.
"We're still investigating the constitutionality of that bill," Jones said. She claimed St. Louis City Counselor Sheena Hamilton "is still taking a look at that to see if that's an effective tool overall."
The proposal has attracted the attention of at least two neighboring Democratic policymakers in north St. Louis County.
"The idea in general I think is very good," St. Louis County Councilwoman Rita Heard Days (D-District 1) said on Monday. "I think we have to be responsible for our own. We have to take care of our own. And that's one way I think that we can do that."
"Right now, our issue with some of the crime is mostly juvenile," County Council Chair Shalonda Webb (D-District 4) said, adding that she's "just beginning to look into" the "safe harbor" provisions proposed at City Hall.
"I'm going to be looking to our police department to provide me some of those answers," Webb said.
"The problem isn't a lack of solutions, but a lack of action. We need change," Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-Missouri) said on Sunday.
"So to the anti-gun safety lawmakers in Missouri in the state legislature, the last thing I'll say is: 'Step up or step aside. Keep your mouth off St. Louis, because we're doing the work. And if you want to join us, our arms are open and our ears are, too.,'" Bush said. "But if not, hands off our kids. These are our babies. And we will do everything we can to protect them."
One day after calling for Republicans to put tougher gun laws on the books, Bush expressed reservations about the police who would be tasked with enforcing them.
"I don't believe that police should go around trying to stop people and trying to take guns from people," Bush said. "We have enough problems with stop and frisk in this country and so it can easily turn into something we do not want."
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (R-Missouri), a leading candidate running for governor in the 2024 Republican primary contest, responded to Bush's remarks on 'The Record.'
"The idea that we want to make it illegal for people to have guns, but then we won't let the police stop people if they illegally have guns... That's so convoluted. I can't understand it," Ashcroft said, before calling for police to use more aggressive tactics to search for incriminating evidence on people in public.
"If you look at what happened in the City of New York, which can be a great example for how you should do things, stop-and-frisk saved lives," Ashcroft said. "Stop-and-frisk stopped crimes. It got criminals off the street and it made it so law-abiding citizens could enjoy their city again."
In a recent interview, Spencer acknowledged that while her "safe harbor" gun proposal could subject people of color to negative interactions with police more often than others, she felt it would not amount to the return of "stop-and-frisk."
"That is an abhorrent practice, which I would oppose vehemently," she said.
"This is entirely and exclusively behavior-based," she added. "There will be no interactions as a result of this unless a person is visibly and obviously carrying a firearm, in which case, you know, it's my contention -- and I think it's the contention of most Saint Louisans -- that we should intervene; and that the open carrying of firearms by children is just a volatile, dangerous, and unacceptable practice."
"It should be prohibited that juveniles do not carry guns," St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Tracy said on Sunday. "It should be prohibited. This is the first state and city that I come to where juveniles are not prohibited. It should at least mirror the federal law."
The federal Youth Handgun Safety Act prohibits unsupervised minors from possessing a handgun or bullets, but Governor Mike Parson (R-Missouri) enacted a law that would threaten to sue the police if they try to partner with the FBI, ATF or Department of Justice to enforce federal gun laws.
Parson's office has not yet responded to questions asking if he agreed with the police chief, but an aide said he "has been briefed" about the shooting.
Tracy said St. Louis police officers could still try to refer certain criminal charges to the U.S. Attorney's Office for prosecution in instances where minors use illegal guns in the commission of a violent crime.
"It's certainly something we've looked at in the past and it's something we can do and it's not out of the realm," Tracy said.
During a Monday morning press conference with reporters, 5 On Your Side asked U.S. Rep. Cori Bush if she saw any place for police to step in proactively and prevent shootings before they start.
"Proactive policing, that can look different for different people," she said.
She rattled off a list of other community needs she'd prefer to see addressed instead, like recreational activities, workforce development, education improvements, and childhood hunger.
"We fix our communities, we fix make sure our people are whole," Bush said. "That's where it is."