Missouri Lawmakers Once Again Pushing Far-Right 'Gun Nullification' Scheme
The Missouri Senate is .
On Tuesday, lawmakers passed legislation that would 鈥渘ullify鈥� all federal gun laws in the state and send federal agents to prison for enforcing them. Last year, a similar bill was , but was vetoed by Gov. Jay Nixon. A subsequent vote to override the veto .
The bill鈥檚 chief Republican sponsor, Sen. Brian Nieves, says the law is intended to protect law-abiding gun owners from encroachments on their Second Amendment rights by federal regulations and officers. As written, federal agents would be subjected to civil and criminal penalties for knowingly enforcing federal gun laws in Missouri, with penalties including a year in prison and a $1,000 fine.
鈥淭his is primarily purposed to protect liberties of Missourians,鈥� said Nieves, of Washington.
The legislation also would allow concealed gun permit holders to carry their weapons openly, including in municipalities where such 鈥渙pen carry鈥� practices are banned.
Even if the bill succeeds this year, it will certainly face a legal challenge in the federal courts, which have consistently ruled that states cannot overrule federal statutes, consistent with the of the U.S. Constitution.
The Missouri 鈥渘ullification鈥� effort concocted in the 1990s by leaders of the militia and anti-government 鈥淧atriot鈥� movements. Many of its core ideas harken back to far-right Posse Comitatus schemes regarding county power versus federal power.
Nonetheless, 鈥渘ullification鈥� strategies have been in conservative circles in recent years, thanks in no small part to right-wing pundits like who claim they are legitimate political theories with 鈥渃onstitutional鈥� grounding.
