Feds Seek to Block Missouri Challenge to Gun Control
The Justice Department has asked a court to block a Missouri law that declares certain federal gun laws invalid and threatens financial penalties on state and local agencies that enforce them, arguing the measure violated the Constitution and undermined public safety,
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The Justice Department has asked a court to block a Missouri law that declares certain federal gun laws invalid and threatens financial penalties on state and local agencies that enforce them, arguing the measure violated the Constitution and undermined public safety, reports the Washington Post. Federal lawyers argued that the bill signed by Gov. Mike Parson in June was “legally invalid” and undermined law enforcement activities in the state.
The law, known as the Second Amendment Preservation Act, takes aim broadly at federal laws and regulations having to do with taxes, registration and transfer of firearms. It threatens $50,000 fines for local jurisdictions or governments that enforce the provisions at issue, which it declares to be “infringements on the people’s right to keep and bear arms.” A dozen local officers withdrew from participating in Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) task forces at least in part because of the law, and several state and local law enforcement agencies indicated they would no longer input data into a national system that helps investigators match ballistics evidence with crimes across the nation. The measure generated confusion and concern among some local jurisdictions and law enforcement officers, who worried it would hamper their ability to work with federal agencies, especially the ATF, on crime-fighting efforts. The city of St. Louis, St. Louis County and Jackson County filed a lawsuit seeking to block the law.
