Disastrous Missouri gun rights bill hampers law enforcement. Fix it, or get rid of it

It’s increasingly clear Missouri’s enactment of the Second Amendment Preservation Act has been a disaster — enabling criminals, hobbling police departments and sheriffs, yet doing nothing to actually protect gun possession rights.

Lawmakers must revisit the law next year. Gov. Mike Parson, who knows the bill is a politically motivated farce, should make repeal or amendment a top priority.

We’ve opposed the measure, known as SAPA, for almost a year. The bill is clearly unconstitutional: States cannot nullify federal laws. The measure’s threat of lawsuits against state and local officers who work with the federal government chills any effort to reduce the violence on the streets.

There are other problems with the bill. There are concerns it will excuse domestic violence in Missouri and shield abusers from prosecution.

SAPA is a political statement, now embedded in state law, that threatens the welfare of everyone who lives or works in Missouri.

The U.S. Department of Justice has made the threat plain. In papers filed with the Missouri Supreme Court, the department has outlined the ways SAPA limits cooperation between federal and local police officials. Suspects have literally been turned loose for fear of violating the law.

The bill poses a “clear and substantial threat to public safety,” the DOJ said in its filing.

We’re confident the state Supreme Court will toss SAPA out of the window. But we shouldn’t have to rely on judges to supply the common sense legislators lack: Fix the bill in 2022, or repeal it.

Or explain to Missourians why you’ve put their lives at risk.