North Kansas City police officer’s killing is a symptom of sick Missouri gun culture
Tuesday’s fatal shooting of North Kansas City police officer Daniel Vasquez is a horrific tragedy for his family, his friends, and all who served with him, and beside him.
We extend the deepest respect for his sacrifice, and his family’s sacrifice. North Kansas City should quickly remember his service in an appropriate way.
The killing is another terrible reminder of the price we pay for lax gun laws, particularly in Missouri — and the ongoing need to change the gun culture and stop senseless murders in the state.
Wednesday, authorities charged Joshua Rocha with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the case. Authorities say Rocha shot officer Vasquez multiple times after being stopped for a routine traffic violation.
At a news conference, investigators said they didn’t yet know where the suspect obtained the firearm — by purchase, theft, or in some other way. We urge the police to thoroughly investigate the source of the weapon and, if appropriate, bring criminal charges against the person who provided the gun.
We also ask local police to seek help from federal authorities if needed. Missouri’s law banning federal-local cooperation on gun crimes is a misguided farce, and should be tested in court. Let’s see Attorney General Eric Schmitt sue to block a federal investigation of a police killing.
We also urge lawmakers to broadly review Missouri’s gun laws, which generally allow adult drivers to carry concealable weapons in their vehicles.
A Missouri law prohibiting pistols in cars would not have prevented this shooting. Any suspect willing to shoot a police officer will not obey a law banning weapons in his or her car. It’s already against the law for anyone to fire a weapon from a motor vehicle, or at one, unless it’s in self defense.
But Missouri’s overall “What, me worry?” approach to reasonable gun regulations reinforce a culture that says guns are the easy answer to almost any dispute.
We call for better, enforceable gun rules after every mass shooting — a school, a church, a movie theater, a concert, a shopping mall. We call for a review of gun regulations after rolling gun battles on our streets, or senseless killings in an entertainment district.
But these aren’t the only examples of the threat the community faces from guns. Every police officer in the region — every single one — must assume that the driver of a stopped car is armed and dangerous.
“Every car stop you take that risk when you walk up to the driver’s window,” North Kansas City Police Chief Kevin Freeman said Wednesday. “Every officer knows that when they conduct a traffic stop.”
That’s appalling and unacceptable. Officers shouldn’t fear for their lives handing out speeding tickets, and errant drivers shouldn’t have to worry about armed officers’ justifiable fear at the car door.
There are more guns than people in this country, one officer pointed out privately at Wednesday’s news conference. This region, and nation, pays a heavy price for its gun fetish.
It doesn’t have to be this way. We urge the Missouri legislature to review its gun laws next year to make weapons harder to get and use. We suggest a specific emphasis on laws prohibiting guns in the front seat of cars.
They can label the statute “Daniel’s Law.”
This story was originally published July 20, 2022 at 2:31 PM.