This gun bill would make it harder for Missouri police officers to do their jobs | Opinion

Law enforcement officials from across Missouri are adamantly opposed to a proposal they described as anti-law enforcement — and for good reason.

Sponsored by state Sen. Rick Brattin, a Republican from Harrisonville, Senate Bill 23 would prevent local law enforcement officials from around the state from working with federal agencies to enforce federal gun restrictions, a necessary tool used to help take violent offenders off the street.

A version of this bill known as the Second Amendment Preservation Act passed out of the Missouri House last month. Just this week, the bill was placed on the Senate’s informal calendar for perfection — meaning senators intend to perfect the bill so that it wouldn’t be overturned, as it was before when the legislature passed a similar measure in 2021.

Brattin’s bill states: “Under this act, no public officer or state or local employee has the authority to enforce federal firearms laws. However, state employees may accept aid from federal officials in an effort to enforce Missouri laws.”

Under the law, a private citizen could collect $50,000 if proven in court that a police department violated their Second Amendment rights.

Because of the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause, this bill should be a non-starter — state law cannot supersede federal law. But legislators here have added language to this latest bill that they believe is better than a similar law passed four years ago. In 2023, a federal judge ruled the original Second Amendment Preservation Act was unconstitutional and one year later a federal appeals court agreed.

So why revisit a proposal that even police are against? Messages sent to Brattin’s office seeking comment were not returned.

We asked Kansas City Police Department officials about Chief Stacey Graves’ stance on this issue, and her thoughts on more access to firearms in general. We also inquired about the department’s working relationship with federal partners.

In a statement, we were told that Graves appreciates the General Assembly’s focus on public safety issues and that the department continues to work with federal agencies to address violent crime in the city.

“There are many perspectives on how to build a safer Missouri,” the statement read. “The Kansas City Missouri Police Department reviews all legislation that is enacted to ensure it is using all the tools available to protect Kansas City from violence. As we have done in the past, we will continue to work collaboratively with local, state, and federal partners to ensure a better and safer Kansas City for all.”

Police oppose more guns on streets

Missouri state Sen. Barbara Washington, a Kansas City Democrat, said she is opposed to the measure because it could lead to another costly legal battle with the U.S. Department of Justice.

“The whole thing is a waste of taxpayers’ dollars,” she said. “We should be tired of spending money on legal fees on issues that we know are illegal.”

In this case, we share Washington’s concerns. But law enforcement groups such as the Missouri Fraternal Order of Police, Missouri Sheriffs United and the Missouri Police Chiefs Association are vehemently opposed to this bill too.

While Chief Graves was a bit more reserved, other officials from police departments in Branson, Rolla, Columbia and Versailles who testified against the bill during a Senate hearing April 14 in Jefferson City were a lot less diplomatic.

If passed into law, this act would subject law enforcement officers around the state to litigation for simply doing their jobs, critics rightfully contend.

According to NPR, federal agencies such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives National Tracing Center often work with local law enforcement officials to track firearms recovered after a crime to provide leads to solve other crimes.

The proposal is “anti-law enforcement,” Ellisville Police Chief Steve Lewis told the news outlet. “We believe it restricts law enforcement’s ability to assist federal task force partners with the seizure of weapons from bad people.”

There’s another layer of this proposed bill that we found difficult to ignore: The law, if approved, would forbid any law enforcement agency from hiring an officer who previously enforced federal gun restrictions — as if hiring qualified police officers isn’t already a challenge for agencies across this state and elsewhere.

Any law that could potentially reduce the hiring pool for a profession already facing a nationwide shortage is a bad idea. But we’d be naive to think this bill isn’t headed to Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe’s desk — more than likely it is. If Kehoe is the police-supporting, pro-public safety governor he claims to be, he’d veto whatever iteration of this law is placed before him

We are opposed to any measure that would make it more difficult for police officers to legally do their jobs.

Kehoe should be too.

This story was originally published April 23, 2025 at 5:08 AM.