And every now and then these leaders say the quiet part out loud. That’s the case with St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones (D).
She has the unenviable task of running one of the murder capitals of the U.S. It was only last year when the Missouri city was overtaken by New Orleans for that dubious honor.
Private texts from the mayor proved that she knows that the sweeping gun control measures enacted by cities such as Chicago are merely window dressing. They also run counter to her very public stance against the Second Amendment.
These messages were made public through an open records request.
Local outlet KSDK reported that a text message was drawn from an exchange between Jones and her father on March 21, 2023. The mayor wrote, “Chicago has strict gun laws as well but that does not deter gun violence.”
This private honesty runs counter to a declaration made by Jones in June.
“Our state’s lax gun laws make our challenge even more difficult…The legislature’s lack of action on gun safety laws encourages the proliferation of guns on our streets and puts our responding officers directly in harm’s way.”
It was then that Jones called for a blanket ban on so-called “assault weapons,” a universal background check and a red flag law.
The TV station noted that the mayor’s messages also indicated her belief that “investing in the people” was the best way to change the violent trajectory of her city.
While that may sound like a positive observation, it was just March when Jones blasted what she termed a “crazy editorial” written by state Sen. Cindy O’Laughlin (R). The legislator endorsed “improving education, workforce training and greater economic development to reverse the currents of desperation that sweep teens toward crime.”
Seemingly a wise path for leaders to take and one that Jones privately admitted was viable. However, it did not align with the narrative of more strict gun control, so the mayor publicly blasted it.
Jones’ staff is working overtime to counteract the damage done by the revelations as well as erase them from the public eye. But the damage to her reputation is done.
Spokesman Nick Desideri doubled down in stating that “gun laws are just one part of the solution. There’s a difference between deterring behavior and making it harder to get firearms and weaponry; for example, there’s no doubt that gun laws in the blue region around Newark help reduce violence as opposed to here.”
In her text messages, Jones talked about Newark, New Jersey, and her belief that extended community investment brought about a reduction in violence there.
She said that the New Jersey city is roughly the same size with the same demographics but had only 50 murders in 2022. For her, this was evidence that Newark’s violence prevention programs were successful.
But publicly, she railed against the idea of community investment and instead called for even more gun control. The hypocrisy should be surprising but frankly is anything but.
After all, politicians are not blind. While they demonize gun owners and erect every barrier possible between law-abiding citizens and their right to keep and bear arms, they know what they are foisting onto the public is ineffective.
Still, they persist.
It is more important than ever for those who treasure their constitutional rights to defend them publicly and through the legal system. Mayors such as Jones and their political allies — even when caught accidentally telling the truth — will not end their attacks on gun rights.
