蜜芽传媒

ST. LOUIS 鈥� A city judge struck down an ordinance this week that prohibited people from leaving guns unattended and unsecured in their vehicles.

Judge Joseph P. Whyte found that the city鈥檚 rules were voided by a state law that stops municipalities from passing more restrictive gun laws.

鈥淭he General Assembly has expressly preempted local firearms regulation,鈥� Whyte鈥檚 Tuesday ruling says. 鈥淭he Court finds that the Unattended Vehicle Ordinance is therefore invalid.鈥�

A city spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the suit Thursday.

Whyte鈥檚 ruling came about nine months after city resident Michael Roth鈥檚 gun was stolen from his vehicle while he attended a church service at the Cathedral Basilica in the Central West End.

Roth went to the police department to report it stolen. When he got there, he was issued a citation for leaving it unattended in the console.

Roth asked municipal prosecutors to drop the charges, and they did.

But in November, his lawyer sued, arguing the city鈥檚 gun ordinances should be struck down because they were invalidated by state law.

City lawyers said that the state law said nothing about ordinances governing gun storage 鈥� 鈥渁 distinct category of firearm legislation that the statute does not preempt,鈥� according to court filings.

On Tuesday, Whyte ruled in Roth鈥檚 favor.

He found that the state law鈥檚 specific references to the use, keeping, possession and transportation of weapons encompassed the city鈥檚 prohibition on unattended guns in vehicles.

And, he said, the ordinance also didn鈥檛 conform with exceptions for ordinances involving some open carry provisions or those that mirror language already in state law.

鈥淭he city of 蜜芽传媒 is hereby permanently enjoined from enforcing the Unattended Vehicle Ordinance,鈥� Whyte wrote.