Missouri: General Assembly Adjourns from its 2017 Legislative Session

Today, the Missouri General Assembly continued to ensure that your Second Amendment rights are protected as the 2017 legislative session adjourned.  Many anti-gun bills were defeated and did not receive hearings.  These bills aimed at restricting your Second Amendment rights include:

House Bill 185, sponsored by state Representative Bruce Franks, Jr. (D-78), would require lawful gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms within a certain period of time or face harsh penalties, potentially including jail time.

House Bill 241, sponsored by state Representative Doug Beck (D-92), would make it illegal to transfer a firearm to any person on the federal “No Fly” list.  This secret government list routinely has names mistakenly placed on it without a clear restoration process for getting your name removed.  This type of blacklisting without due process is an affront to the constitutional values we hold as Americans.

House Bill 363, sponsored by state Representative Stacey Newman (D-87), would require that all sales or transfers of firearms be processed through a licensed firearms dealer.

House Bill 364, also sponsored by state Representative Stacey Newman (D-87), would create provisions requiring permits to purchase firearms in the state of Missouri.

House Bill 365, also sponsored by state Representative Stacey Newman (D-87), would establish extreme risk protection orders and gun violence seizure warrants, and prohibit certain persons involved in domestic violence from possessing a firearm.  These seizures and Second Amendment rights revocations would occur without due process of law.

House Bill 366, also sponsored by state Representative Stacey Newman (D-87), would add unnecessary extra steps for a person to purchase a firearm in the state of Missouri.

Additionally, deeply flawed Senate Bill 73, a bill which would require private membership organizations, such as NRA, to disclose their members’ names, did not move.  NRA members contacting their state Senators and opposing this legislation was instrumental in halting it in the legislative process. 

A special thank you to Speaker Todd Richardson, Representative Robert Cornejo, Senator Bob Onder and Senator Brian Munzlinger for their leadership and support of our Second Amendment rights in Missouri.