By Austin Huguelet
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — An aldermanic committee on Thursday gave initial approval to a bill banning the open carry of firearms in the city without a concealed-carry permit. It also advanced a bill that would require police to provide more information — and business cards — to people they stop and search.
The three-hour session paired efforts to chip away at two of the city’s thorniest issues: the scourge of violent crime and the longstanding distrust between Black residents and the city’s crimefighters.
The approval of the bill targeting open carry, from Alderwoman Cara Spencer, of Marine Villa, followed weeks of debate at City Hall on its merits and legality.
Spencer had cast the plan, which takes advantage of a gap in normally gun-friendly Missouri, as a way to get some firearms off the street and cut down on some of the more brazen gun-toting that made headlines in recent months. She also said it would disarm minors, because the age requirement for a conceal-carry permit is 19.
“Fifteen-year-olds can’t be walking around with AR-15s anymore,” she said in May.
But the idea was controversial. Some of Spencer’s colleagues and the city’s top lawyer raised questions about whether state law allowed for penalties included in the bill, like a $500 fine, 30 days in jail, and the permanent confiscation of the weapon. A couple of aldermen also expressed concern the bill would encourage dangerous interactions between police and Black residents.
Alderman Rasheen Aldridge, of Old North St. Louis, said in June that the bill gave him “stop-and-frisk” vibes, referencing the controversial practice pioneered in New York City that saw police stop and search millions of people who had not committed a crime.
At Thursday’s hearing, Aldridge moved some legislation of his own, modeled on a bill from New York City, that addressed some of his concerns. His bill would require police officers to give out business cards to people they stop, search, frisk, or question during interactions that don’t lead to arrests or summonses. The business cards would have their name, rank and badge number, and well as instructions for submitting comments or complaints to the city’s civilian oversight board.
There would be exceptions for officers working undercover or trying to preserve an active investigation.
Aldridge said he hoped the idea would help build trust between police and residents.
“The goal of the bill is to make sure we put some transparency out there, and that people know their rights,” Aldridge told colleagues.
It would also require the department to ensure that when officers are performing searches reliant on a subject’s consent, they clearly inform people of their right to allow or deny the search at any time.
Police Chief Robert Tracy and Joe Steiger, business manager for main police officers’ union, raised concerns that Aldridge’s bill would require things that are already addressed by department policy.
But the committee overruled them, voting 4-2 to forward the bill to the full board for further consideration. Aldermen Tom Oldenburg, of St. Louis Hills, and Bret Narayan, of Dogtown, voted no. Alderwoman Laura Keys, of the O’Fallon neighborhood, voted present.
Then the committee took up Spencer’s bill. And she introduced an amendment to take care of some of the legal concerns. And she took an amendment from Alderwoman Daniela Velázquez, of Shaw, to require police to track the race and gender of people they stop. Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier, of Tower Grove East, also amended the bill to add community service as an alternative penalty.
The committee, including Aldridge, sent it to the full board 7-0.
In an interview after the meeting, Spencer thanked her colleagues for working with her and getting the bill through.
“I think we’ve got a bill that will help to start to address gun violence in St. Louis,” she said.
The legislation is Board Bill 29 and Board Bill 82.
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