On The Issues

After losing her cousin, Isis Mahr, to gun violence, Maria understands that thoughts and prayers alone are not enough. Families deserve action that makes neighborhoods safer and helps prevent future tragedies.

Gun violence continues to be a serious public safety challenge in St. Louis County and across Missouri. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, firearm injuries remain one of the leading causes of death for young people in the United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Firearm Violence Prevention

As a former state senator, Maria supported policies designed to promote responsible gun ownership and reduce access to firearms by individuals who pose a danger to themselves or others. She advocated for measures to improve child firearm safety and accountability when firearms are improperly stored around minors.

Maria believes there are practical steps communities can take to reduce gun violence while respecting responsible gun ownership. These include:

• Strengthening efforts to keep illegal firearms out of the hands of criminals

• Supporting evidence-based violence prevention programs

• Expanding mental health services and crisis intervention resources

• Improving coordination among law enforcement agencies

• Supporting safe firearm storage practices

• Investing in youth opportunity and crime prevention initiatives

Maria also believes that public safety requires addressing the root causes of violence, including poverty, lack of opportunity, untreated mental health challenges, and community disinvestment. Research has shown that comprehensive violence prevention strategies are most effective when they combine law enforcement efforts with prevention and intervention programs. National Institute of Justice Violence Prevention Resources.

Mr. Conner, retired postal worker

Throughout her public service career, Maria has worked with community leaders, advocates, and residents to advance conversations about public safety and violence prevention. She believes every family deserves to feel safe at home, at school, in parks, and in their neighborhoods.

For Maria, this issue is deeply personal.

She believes that every life lost to violence represents a family forever changed, and that communities must come together to support solutions that protect residents while addressing the underlying causes of crime.

Because no parent should have to fear losing a child to violence.

And no family should have to endure the pain of a preventable tragedy.