Concealed carry on KC buses is a terrible idea. How would that reduce gun violence?

Gun violence continues to plague St. Louis, and Kansas City knows all too well it’s not immune to the same scourge. The city set a record for the number of homicides last year, and the vast majority of the slayings involved guns. What this metropolitan area doesn’t need is an overreaching law that could increase the likelihood of even more casualties.

Senate Bill 225 would allow concealed weapons on public transportation if approved. Sponsored by Republican state Sen. Bob Onder of St. Charles County near St. Louis, the measure was heard this earlier month in the Missouri Senate’s General Laws Committee. Weather-related delays have prevented a committee vote, but Democratic state Sen. Greg Razer of Kansas City firmly opposes it. Allowing concealed weapons on public transportation is a risky proposition that lawmakers should soundly reject.

“It’s a bad bill,” Razer said.

Attempts this week to reach Onder for comment were unsuccessful.

The legislation was filed in response to a series of high-profile violent incidents on the 46-mile, 38-station MetroLink light rail system operated by Bi-State Development in St. Louis. But Kansas City has no equivalent transit system.

Razer is aware that 2020, when 182 people were killed, was the deadliest year on record in Kansas City. He also understands the issues plaguing St. Louis, which recorded 262 homicides last year, its worst homicide rate in 50 years. Both cities contribute to Missouri’s morbid standing as the state with the highest Black homicide death rates in the nation.

So, what’s the best solution to address the growing body count? Approving more guns in public, apparently, says Sen. Onder. A one-size-fits-all approach to reducing violence does little to improve public safety.

MetroLink security guards and other contracted non-police personnel are prohibited from carrying deadly weapons. The transit agency employs officers from regional police departments for security as a result.

“St. Louis has issues that Kansas City doesn’t,” Razer said. “There is no need for a statewide law. St. Louis needs to figure it out.”

Violent incidents rarely occur on RideKC buses and other vehicles. Only 16 disturbances were reported last year by the agency, said Robbie Makinen, president and CEO of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority. Weapons were recovered in four of those instances — a minuscule number for a regionwide transportation system that provides nearly 60,000 trips per day.

“You can’t carry weapons on planes or Amtrak,” Makinen said. “Why do you need one on a bus?”

Under current Missouri law, it is a crime to board a bus with a dangerous or deadly weapon. The prohibition is in place for a reason. More guns are not the answer to violence. If the new law is enacted, commuters would have the unfettered right to legally pack heat on any public transportation system in the state.

But a free rein on guns means more potential for violent encounters.

“I don’t see the value in this bill,” Makinen said.

And neither do we.