Crime In America: Kansas City Mayor On Police Funding And Gun Control
Newsy
Mayor Quinton Lucas made a campaign promise to reduce violent crime in Kansas City, but he explains why that's proving to be more and more difficult.
Kansas City, Missouri, is the second-most-dangerous municipality in the Midwest and ranks in the top 10 in the U.S. for gun violence, according to the FBI. Real-time American gun violence data in 2022, as of July 28th:–11,629 deaths–22,319 injuries–372 mass shootings–198 children killed | 438 children injured–778 teenagers killed | 2,097 teenagers injured–663 defensive use incidents–883 unintentional shootings
The city's Democratic Mayor Quinton Lucas made a campaign promise to reduce the number of homicides in Kansas City to under 100 per year, but that hasn't happened and Mayor Lucas says easy access to guns is the core issue.
"For those who don't know the Midwest, we are not unlike Texas," he said. "We have no requirement for concealed carry permits. ... Folks can access assault rifles very simply. There is little to no investigation into illegal gun traffickers and distributors. And our police are not only overworked, but they find themselves at risk of getting shot as well."
