Thread by @CoMo_Kristin

Listening to #moleg debate legislation that can hand control over policing in St. Louis to GOP politicians. Instead of heated rhetoric on alleged "demonization" of police officers, lawmakers should be working to address our state's weak safety laws that hamstring police. #SAPA

As this lawmaker from St. Louis exurbs lists an array of gun crimes in his area--blaming St. Louis for his community's problems--is mentioning the Missouri Chamber of Commerce's recommendations on crime. Let's look at their recommendations then. Public safety is a business issue.

Our police have actually been asking for lawmakers to address gun crime for years. Here's one place the Chamber of Commerce cites our state's gun violence as a point of concern:
mochamber.com/wp-content/upl… #moleg

One thing the data shared in the Chamber of Commerce report doesn't say: St. Louis (or any city) or its policing methods are to blame for increased violent crime. #moleg

Here's something the Missouri Chamber of Commerce *does* point to as a problem: Missouri gun laws. It's the Chamber saying #SAPA confusion means many police believe working with any federal agency on a weapons-related case is prohibited. #moleg

This is Missouri's *Chamber of Commerce* saying that "communities can be made safer when state and federal law enforcement officials collaborate to take violent criminals off the streets." Thereport explicitly calls for fixing the disastrous 2nd Amendment Preservation Act. #moleg

When we talk about public safety in the context of increasing/protecting tools to support policing to support business and growth, if MO GOP lawmakers were not just brazenly politicizing crime they'd address the mess they made with #SAPA in 2021. #moleg mochamber.com/wp-content/upl…