In June, Missouri Gov. Mike “I Don’t Know Hacking But I’m Really Mad at Newspapers” Parsons signed SAPA, the Second Amendment Preservation Act, which, among other things, makes it illegal for any state or municipal law enforcement agent to enforce federal gun laws.
Violating this law could bring a $50,000 fine. Besides the unconstitutionality of HB 85, the law raises all kinds of issues about inter-department cooperation, a mainstay of criminal investigations. One Missouri prosecuting attorney said:
I shoot once a week, at minimum. My kids shoot. My seven-year-old owns multiple firearms. I am all in favor of responsible people owning firearms, and raising their children to own firearms responsibly... What I oppose about [SAPA], and what I would ask for, to be looked at and possibly fixed, is the ability for law enforcement officers to interact with their federal partners, to go after people who are violent in nature and are committing crimes in our community.
Rep. Jered Taylor, a Republican who represents Christian County, was a lead sponsor of the bill. The blood-gargling NRA gives him a 92% rating. Ol’ Jered knows on which side his bread is buttered. Ol’ Jered is cut from the Trump cloth. He whines when people question his political stances. He tweets that he’s happy when he pisses off liberals. And check out Jered’s awesome Twitter profile picture. He’s holding a gun washed in liberal tears:
Given that federal law generally takes precedent over state and local law, this is an unusually stupid piece of legislation sponsored and signed by a group of unusually stupid politicians. It also sets a dangerous precedent that grown-ass people think this is OK. As much as it pains me, I say that when it comes to it, let the state secede go. When Missouri steps away from the Union, Jered will be their idiot king, and good luck to them.
I feel the same way about Texas. It pains me to watch it happening. But in reality it's always been there under the surface. Heather Cox Richardson is right, the South did win the Civil War.
In the wake of yet another gun "accident," Jim Wright (Stonekettle Station) reminds us about a series he wrote in 2012 and updated in 2015. Short version, there are no gun "accidents." There is gun negligence when a gun owner fails to follow one of the NRA's own rules about safe gun ownership and handling. It's felony negligence if somebody is injured including the gun owner. It's negligent homicide if somebody dies. If children are able to access a weapon because the owner failed to properly secure it, it's felony child endangerment. At least, that's the way it would be in a sane world. https://www.stonekettle.com/2015/06/bang-bang-sanity.html
Look at that responsible armed seven-year-old.