Kansas City Mayor: Guns Contributing to Tensions Between Police and Communities
A bullet hole is seen in a window at El Centro College, Thursday, July 14, 2016, in Dallas. Five police officers were killed and seven others wounded when Micah Johnson opened fire during a planned protest last Thursday. Tony Gutierrez / AP Photo
“Unfortunately most of us mayors have very little ability to impact the proliferation of guns on our streets, because our state legislatures rob us of that,” according to Mayor Sly James.
The prevalence of guns is creating difficulties when it comes to improving interactions between law enforcement officers and citizens, in the view of Sly James, the mayor of Kansas City, Missouri.
James said Thursday he and other mayors are “struggling very much with the proliferation of guns on our city streets and how that impacts the relationship between citizens and police officers.” Having those firearms out there is not making people safer in his opinion, but less safe.
“For an officer on duty to walk up to a car,” he said, “driven by a 19-year-old in this state, where they can legally have a gun in the car and the officer doesn’t know it, I think, invites problems.”
He added: “Unfortunately most of us mayors have very little ability to impact the proliferation of guns on our streets, because our state legislatures rob us of that and preempt us.”
James first took office in 2011 and was re-elected last year. He made his comments during a media conference call, organized by the National League of Cities. The call was focused on the findings of a report analyzing this year’s state of the city speeches by mayors around the U.S.
While the mayor did not refer specifically to the legislation, Republicans in the Missouri Legislature are threatening to override a veto by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon, of a sweeping firearms bill that, among other things, would eliminate permit requirements for carrying a concealed weapon in public. It would also set up a “stand your ground” law, allowing people to use deadly force, before trying to retreat, if they think their life is in jeopardy.
Nixon vetoed the firearms measure in late June. The National Rifle Association is among those advocating for the override, characterizing the legislation as a “self-defense bill.”
Prior to making his comments about firearms Thursday, James expressed dismay over the killing of five police officers in Dallas last week by a gunman who had sought them out as targets during a protest.
Earlier last week, two black men, one in Minnesota and another in Louisiana, were shot and killed by police officers in incidents that were captured on video.
The mayor, who is black, referred to the turmoil surrounding those deaths well.
“Now that there are cameras on everybody’s phones, people are seeing what people in the African-American community have complained about for decades, that never seemed to be reported or acted upon,” he said. Saying this has resulted in distrust and anger, James added: “Now that it’s coming to the fore, we need to find a way to deal with it.”
Bill Lucia is a Reporter for Government Executive’s Route Fifty and is based in Washington, D.C.
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