ST LOUIS — Judge Newton McCoy asked each of the two defendants before him the same question.
“Did you get your safe and install it in your truck?â€
It was early December, and he was asking about guns.
McCoy is a municipal judge for the city of ºüÀêÊÓƵ. On Dec. 8, he gave two men an opportunity to have the charges against them dismissed. Each man was a victim of crime — a car break-in and theft downtown, near Busch Stadium — but they were also charged with an ordinance violation.
Since 2017, the city has had that makes it illegal to leave a firearm in an unattended vehicle unless the weapon is in a locked case of some sort. The law, sponsored by former Mayor Lyda Krewson when she was an alderman, is intended to cut down on the number of stolen guns that are used in crimes.
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The ordinance passed unanimously and then mostly sat on a shelf collecting dust for five years. That changed in 2022 when police began writing tickets for the ordinance violation, particularly downtown, and the city counselor’s office started filing charges in such cases.
Police in ºüÀêÊÓƵ have long lamented that guns stolen out of cars add to the crime in the city. Now, the administration of Mayor Tishaura O. Jones has decided to tackle that problem.
“Mayor Jones has long stated that it takes all the tools in our toolbox to reduce and prevent crime,†said spokesman Nick Dunne, in an emailed statement. “This effort works similarly to promoting and giving away gun locks — secured guns guarantee a reduction in guns that make their way into our streets.â€
It is not clear what led to the enforcement of the ordinance. The police department and city counselor’s office both declined comment. The mayor’s office first told me that the new enforcement was initiated by the police department, then rescinded that statement.
But whatever its genesis, it’s clear the law is being enforced, creating a bit of a conundrum for folks who drive downtown for whatever reason and end up a victim of a crime, then get charged with one themselves.
Last year, according to city records, 192 people received a summons for a violation of the unattended firearm in a vehicle ordinance. Violation of the law carries a potential fine of up to $500 and up to 90 days in jail.
But hardly anybody who has been charged with a violation of the law has paid a fine and nobody has spent time in jail. That’s because the city counselor’s office, with the apparent approval of McCoy and the other municipal judges, is offering everybody who is charged with a violation a chance to get the case dismissed, as long as they show the court they have bought and installed a locked gun safe for their car.
In court in December, the defendants — one from the city and one from Jefferson County — seemed amenable to the plea bargain.
“As soon as you get that done, we will dismiss your case,†municipal prosecutor Richard Sykora told one defendant in court.
“Sounds good to me,†he responded.
The other defendant emailed Sykora a picture of his installed gun safe. His case was dismissed.
That’s how 74 of the cases filed last year have been resolved. Only two defendants have refused to install a gun safe and been charged a fine. More than 60% of the cases have been filed against Missouri residents who live somewhere outside the city, mostly ºüÀêÊÓƵ County and surrounding counties in the region. The two ZIP codes that have the most cases filed against gun owners are both in north ºüÀêÊÓƵ County.
Krewson, a longtime gun-safety advocate, is glad the law she helped write is being enforced.
“I think it’s great,†she said. “Enforcing that might keep a couple of guns off the streets. Anybody can carry a gun anytime anywhere in Missouri. I think it’s unfortunate. It certainly does not make us safer.â€
That has been the mantra coming from ºüÀêÊÓƵ leaders for years, but it always falls on deaf ears in the Republican-controlled Missouri Legislature. Last year, for instance, former ºüÀêÊÓƵ County state Rep. Trish Gunby, a Democrat, filed a bill that would give any Missourian for buying a firearm safe, for their house or their vehicle. That bill never received a hearing. This year, state Rep. Gretchen Bangert, D-Florissant, that mimics the one now being enforced in ºüÀêÊÓƵ.
Krewson thinks that’s a great idea.
“I hate it that somebody has their car broken into; but on the other hand, it’s not too onerous to ask someone to lock up their weapon in the car,†she says. “I think most gun owners do consider themselves responsible and don’t want their guns stolen.â€