A St. Louis judge has struck down a city law that required people to store guns left in cars in a locked box.
Circuit Judge Joseph P. Whyte ruled that the 2017 ordinance conflicts with a Missouri law that strips local governments of the authority to regulate firearms, except in limited circumstances. The city is expected to appeal.
The city passed its ordinance in an effort to address a growing problem of car break-ins that had led to guns being stolen and later used in crimes.
“Requiring reasonable measures to secure firearms left in unattended vehicles will reduce gun thefts, protect the property of the City's law-abiding citizens, and prevent stolen guns from falling into the hands of criminals,” aldermen wrote.
The legislation also required gun owners to report stolen firearms within 48 hours.
In 2024, a St. Louis resident, Michael Roth, had his gun stolen from the middle console of his locked car while he attended Mass at the Cathedral Basilica in the Central West End. When he reported the theft to police, he was cited for failing to keep the weapon in a locked box.
Though city prosecutors dropped the case, Roth sued, arguing that they could issue the charges again and had also filed similar cases against other gun owners, in violation of state law.
City attorneys argued that state law says nothing about the storage of guns. But White wrote in his opinion that the ordinance “attempts to regulate the ‘use,’ ‘keeping,’ or ‘possession’ of firearms,” which are areas pre-empted by the state.
