COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri's GOP-led state House on Wednesday advanced a bill to ban police from using federal laws to take away people’s guns.
Bill sponsor Rep. Jered Taylor cited the possibility of new federal gun restrictions under Democratic President Joe Biden's administration and the Democratic-led U.S. House as the reason why the bill is needed.
He said it's state lawmakers' job to protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Missourians.
“We are here to defend those rights against an out-of-control federal government," Taylor said. “And that’s exactly what this bill does.”
The bill has gotten pushback from some law enforcement in the state, particularly over a now-stripped provision that would have disqualified law enforcement officers from working as Missouri cops if they served on a federal gun taskforce. Police who violated the bill also would have been subject to lawsuits under the previous bill version.
House lawmakers removed those penalties from the bill Wednesday, but the measure still would subject police departments to lawsuits and $50,000 fines if they employ officers who take away guns based on federal laws.
The measure needs another vote of approval in the state House before it can go to the Republican-led Senate for debate.
