No Gun Control: Missouri’s Second Amendment Preservation Act

This was written by Myla, one of our student interns. The opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of Civitas other than respect for the value of open dialogue.

On June 14, 2021, Missouri Governor Mike Parson established the Second Amendment Preservation Act in the state of Missouri. Since Missouri has been a Republican leaning state for years, I was not surprised that the state legislature let this bill pass. Outside of the St. Louis Metropolitan area and Kansas City, Missouri tends to have a Southern mindset. As many people know, Southern states tend to lean towards the Republican party. Governor Parson represents everything that is stereotypically Republican. He grew up in a small, rural town in Missouri. Parson is a U.S. army veteran, and former police sheriff. Similar to many conservatives, he strongly believes in protecting the right to bear arms.

“Throughout my law enforcement career and now as Governor of the state of Missouri, I have and always will stand for the Constitution and our Second Amendment rights,” Governor Parson said. “This legislation today draws a line in the sand and demonstrates our commitment to reject any attempt by the federal government to circumvent the fundamental rights Missourians have to keep and bear arms to protect themselves and their property.” The law prevents state and local cooperation with federal officials that attempt to enforce any laws, rules, orders, or actions that violate the Second Amendment rights of citizens. Missourians are able to sue cities whose police officers try to enforce federal restrictions. Anyone who disregards this law will be liable for redress and monetary damages of $50,000 per occurrence. 

It seems as though the Governor has completely disregarded the issue of gun violence in our communities. According to the Washington Post, through the first five months of 2021, gunfire has killed more than 8,100 people in the United States. Approximately 54 lives are lost per day. According to the Gun Violence Archive, the number of casualties and shootings in our country exceeds those of the first five months of 2020.  This is becoming the deadliest year in United States history.

Since the legalization of the Second Amendment Preservation Act, St. Louis City and St. Louis County have jointly filed suit asking for the new law to be declared unconstitutional. “This harmful and unconstitutional law takes away tools our communities need to prevent gun violence. I’m proud to partner with St. Louis County in this effort to protect our region and stop this law,” St. Louis Mayor, Tishaura Jones proclaimed. St. Louis County Executive, Sam Page considered the law to be a sign that says, “come commit gun violence here.” 

We can’t expect people to stay in St. Louis or to move their businesses here if we don’t do everything we can to reduce gun violence in the region, but this new law sends the opposite message to our residents and business community,” Page said. The law is a complete violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.

The U.S. Department of Justice has warned Parson that he cannot ignore federal law to protect the right to bear arms. The Biden administration is working hard to pass gun control laws, while Missouri wants to loosen these laws. In a seven-page letter to Parson and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, the Department of Justice wrote, “At a time when homicides have increased in Missouri and neighboring states, measures that impair the effective enforcement of federal law will increase the risk of violent crime in our communities.” However, Parson and Schmitt plan on continuing to protect citizen’s second amendment rights.