St. Louis alderman calls on residents to get armed
08:21 AM CST on Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Raw Video: Alderman talks with News 4
(KMOV) -- A north St. Louis alderman says if police can't protect his constituents, then those residents need to protect themselves.
Alderman Charles Quincy Troupe wants St. Louis residents to legally carry weapons as a form of self-defense.
Troupe says he's disappointed with police response in the neighborhoods he represents.
So, he's encouraging homeowners to buy guns and learn how to use them.
According to Troupe, there are about 60 residents on a waiting list for conceal and carry permits in the City of St. Louis
“I hope you never have to use the gun, but I want you to know how to use it, and when to use it if you should ever have to use it,” Troupe says.
The alderman says that the police in his area are ineffective, outnumbered, or simply don’t care.
St. Louis Police Chief Daniel Isom says in his blog that having more guns in St. Louis is not the solution.
Isom writes, “The recent suggestion that if every citizen was armed we’d all be safer might very well have just the opposite result.”
Alderman Troupe tells News 4 that the response to his remarks has been mostly positive.