ST. LOUIS, Mo. — A new interim committee has been formed to tackle gun violence and public safety with tentative plans to meet for the first time early next week.
The Interim Committee on Public Safety is chaired by Republican Sen. Doug Libla with Sen. Jeanie Riddle serving as vice chairwoman. Republicans Eric Burlison and Tony Luetkemeyer also sit on the committee, along with Democratic Sens. Jamilah Nasheed, Kiki Curls, and Brian Williams.
Nasheed had heavily pushed for the formation of the interim committee as Missouri, especially her home of St. Louis, has been racked with gun violence this year. In a letter to Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz in August, Nasheed called the violence a “public health crisis” and requested an interim committee to “gather, study, and evaluate … different options” to present to the legislature in January.
“I think this is where the rubber meets the road. I’m hoping we are able to come out of this committee with ideas and concepts and laws that are going to change the trajectory of violence and crimes in our neighborhood,” Nasheed told The Missouri Times. “I believe we are really going to get something done next session when it comes to trying to reduce gun violence in the urban corridors and across the state.”
Nasheed praised Schatz for the formation of the committee, saying he “sincerely wants to help reduce violence in our urban corridors.” A host of “good people” are slated to testify before the committee, Nasheed said.
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Kaitlyn Schallhorn was the editor in chief of The Missouri Times from 2020-2022. She joined the newspaper in early 2019 after working as a reporter for Fox News in New York City.
Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East.
She is a native of Missouri who studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina. She is also an alumna of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.
Contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@themissouritimes.com.
