ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Zoo appears to have succeeded in officially becoming a "gun-free zone," but its yearslong legal fight with a gun rights activist isn't yet over.
The St. Louis Zoo is pursuing a portion of the estimated $150,000 in attorneys fees billed to taxpayers spent defending the zoo's gun ban in court. A lawyer for Jeffry Smith of suburban Cincinnati, Ohio, who challenged the firearms ban is criticizing the push for fees.
In May of last year, St. Louis Circuit Judge Joan Moriarty accepted the zoo's contention that its 90-acre property in Forest Park qualifies as a school and a gated amusement park — two of 17 designations where Missouri's open carry law forbids firearms.
