Parson’s signature on gun bill violates US Constitution, makes Missourians less safe
Missouri’s dangerous dance with anti-constitutionalism continued unabated Saturday, when Gov. Mike Parson signed the disturbingly-named Second Amendment Preservation Act.
The Second Amendment is quite intact, of course. The new law isn’t about policy — it’s about sending a pro-gun message to fellow right-wingers across the state. That’s why Parson signed the bill at a gun store.
The measure is a policy mess. It starts with the usual chatter about states’ rights and the Constitution, then assures us the legislature “condemns any unlawful transfer of firearms and the use of any firearm in any criminal or unlawful activity.” Gee, thanks.
It then prohibits local enforcement of most federal gun laws and regulations, including fines for authorities who are working to reduce gun crimes. So much for backing the blue.
Even those convicted of domestic violence are invited into Missouri to brandish all the lethal weapons they desire. It’s beyond reason that Parson and state lawmakers would endorse these measures in one of the bloodiest states in the nation.
But there’s more. The act explicitly violates the U.S. Constitution.
“All federal acts, laws, executive orders, administrative orders, rules, and regulations,” it says, “that infringe on the people’s right to keep and bear arms … shall be invalid to this state, shall not be recognized by this state, shall be specifically rejected by this state, and shall not be enforced by this state.”
The idea that a state legislature can nullify a federal law has a long history in the United States. It was the bedrock of the effort to maintain slavery (no wonder Missouri lawmakers oppose teaching students about the abhorrent “peculiar institution”).
But nullification is highly foolish, and illegal. The Constitution, to which Parson and legislators have sworn allegiance, specifically makes federal law supreme. We’re confident the Second Amendment Protection Act will not survive a serious court challenge, and we expect one to come quickly.
Supporters of the bill insist it merely restricts local efforts to enforce federal gun laws. “We’re just simply saying we’re not going to lift a finger to enforce their rules,” state Sen. Eric Burlison said recently.
Funny. When local governments said they were reluctant to help enforce federal immigration laws, Sen. Burlison had a different view. “We will not be fools in this state,” he said, pushing a bill prohibiting sanctuary counties in Missouri.
Which seems the bigger danger in Missouri: immigration, or the nightly slaughter on the streets? I think we know the answer.
But Missourians should be equally disturbed about Jefferson City’s predilection for ignoring the U.S. Constitution, or the Missouri Constitution, when it doesn’t like what those documents say.
State Sen. Rick Brattin, who may now run for Congress, offered a bill this year allowing the legislature to nullify any executive order, or agency rule, or anything passed by the federal government.
Sen. Josh Hawley wages a daily campaign against the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Attorney General Eric Schmitt urged the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out the legitimate votes of millions of Pennsylvanians by discarding the constitutional system for electing presidents.
Closer to home, when voters approved Medicaid expansion, and put it in the state’s constitution, Missouri legislators tossed it aside as so much scrap paper.
Missouri cannot enjoy the protections of representative government when it routinely discards the Constitution on a whim. That’s why Parson’s signature on the gun bill is regrettable, and will make this state less safe.
