The Chiefs have a huge voice in Kansas City. They must raise it to fight gun violence

The Chiefs are one of Kansas City’s most important and recognizable institutions. We argue about lots of things, sure, but we agree on the Chiefs, who bring our community together in a special way.

As the Chiefs go, so goes Kansas City.

That’s a great gift to us, but it matters to the team too. That means the Chiefs have a duty to repay the city’s affection with a heightened sense of public responsibility. The Chiefs are a football team, but they are more than that, and they must act like it. It isn’t just about wins and losses.

In a city plagued by gun violence, where 100-plus homicides per year have become the norm, we believe the Chiefs’ organization and its top players owe it to the community to take a tougher, more public stance against bloodshed and killings.

That means players and coaches, whose voices can make a difference, must take prominent leadership roles in reducing the warfare that plagues city streets.

The team approaches this issue with a sad but relevant history. Former player Jovan Belcher killed his girlfriend Kasandra Perkins, and later took his own life, with a gun, at Arrowhead Stadium in 2012.

More recently, Frank Clark, a defensive end, was accused of illegally possessing an Uzi submachine gun in Los Angeles.

Concealing a firearm in a vehicle in California is a felony, with potentially serious legal ramifications for Clark. The June arrest was his second gun-related charge of the offseason. The gun belonged to a bodyguard, Clark’s attorney said.

Clark is one of the team’s highest-paid players, and one of its unquestionable leaders. He is as recognizable as any player outside of franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes, charismatic tight end Travis Kelce or outspoken defensive back Tyrann Mathieu.

That makes his arrest more disturbing, because it sends precisely the wrong message to a gun-plagued community that sees Clark as a hero. These are not ordinary allegations that can be, or should be, swept under a rug.

Frank Clark, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce influence kids

The Chiefs had an opportunity to make a forceful statement after Clark’s second arrest. The team punted instead, issuing a weak statement that deferred to the NFL, which continues to investigate Clark’s irresponsible behavior.

The games go on. As of now, Clark has not been punished.

The team must use these incidents as teaching moments — for Clark’s teammates, yes, but for the entire Kansas City community too. Nothing good can come from carrying an illegal weapon in a car. Kansas Citians should hear that, and hear it from Frank Clark, and his coaches, and his boss.

Violence against women is always unacceptable. The Chiefs must say that as well. Fighting substance abuse, and better mental health treatment, are also on the to-do list.

Clark and his teammates may see this scrutiny as unfair, but Frank Clark is a major public figure in a community that adores its athletes, with kids tempted to emulate his behavior.

Now is the time for the team to act.

Young people are impressionable. They would listen to Mahomes and Kelce and players such as Clark, who have been in trouble.

Mahomes is the face of the franchise. He has taken a stance on important issues before. He came out last season in support of Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality.

Mathieu overcame several stumbles that almost derailed his career including a drug suspension in college — he missed an entire season — and a serious knee injury in the NFL. He has become one of the game’s more fearless leaders inside and outside the Chiefs’ locker room.

Both are among a cadre of Chiefs players that could make a difference as Kansas City tries to get a handle on its gun crisis.

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded,” the Bible tells us. We ask the Chiefs and their players, who have given us much and have been rewarded in return, to step forward now, and help reduce the horror in our city.