Missouri law on federal gun rules creates obstacles for Columbia Police Chief - krcgtv.com
COLUMBIA — A Missouri law banning police from enforcing federal gun rules had area law enforcement agencies Thursday pulling officers off federal taskforces and others trying to figure out what regulations the law allows. It's called the Second Amendment Preservation Act. It prohibits state agencies from helping the federal government enforce any law, rule or regulation which Missouri considers an infringement on the right to bear arms. Columbia Police Chief Geoff Jones said the law makes it more difficult to go after people who are violent in nature and are committing crimes in his community.
Jones said, “We are a department that has enjoyed working with the ATF and our other federal partners. This has changed the way that we are able to interact with them.”
Each violation of the law can carry a $50,000 penalty for police departments. The Missouri State Highway Patrol has suspended the participation of 4 troopers in an ATF task force since the law went into effect this spring. Columbia Mayor Brian Treece said the law stops Missouri police officers from doing their jobs.
Treece said, “There’s very little cooperation they can have with the federal government in terms of enforcing federal gun crimes here in the State of Missouri. Actions like intercepting illegal guns, catching felons in possession of illegal guns or even cooperating with the federal data bases that may track stolen guns or shell casings that give police and prosecutors the tools they need to fight violent crime.”
Supporters argue the law is a legal shield to safeguard Missourians' gun rights, from what they consider to be federal overreach. The law’s future will be decided in court. A City of St. Louis lawsuit against the Second Amendment Preservation Act should get to the Missouri Supreme Court next year. The U.S. Department of Justice had not yet decided whether to file its own lawsuit.
source: https://krcgtv.com/news/local/missouri-law-on-federal-gun-rules-creates-obstacles-for-columbia-police-chief
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