JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – One Republican senator wants to ban law enforcement officers from enforcing red-flag laws.
The “Anti-Red Flag Gun Seizure Act” would state that any federal order of protection or court order to confiscate firearms or ammunition from a law-abiding citizen is a violation of that person’s Second Amendment rights. The sponsor of the bill said it protects Missourians from government overreach.
“We have the Second Amendment to protect the First Amendment and our right to due process,” Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, said. “We’ve seen the federal government weaponize the Department of Justice against political opponents, so it is happening. We don’t want that to happen in Missouri.”
Those in favor of Hoskins’ legislation, Senate Bill 998, said red flag laws are unconstitutional.
“If a person is believed to be a danger to themselves or others, taking away their firearms does not remove that danger,” William Bland, resident of Liberty and Western Missouri Shooters Alliance representative, told the committee Wednesday. “It’s easy enough for a suicidal individual to swallow a bottle of Tylenol pulls or harm themselves or others with a kitchen knife or some other weapon.”
Hoskins said he is one of more than 30 states without a red flag law, which temporarily removes firearms from people experiencing a mental health crisis.
“The horrific shooting that we can all recall at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in 2022 was a tragic reminder of our state’s decades of policy failures on gun safety because this tragedy was preventable,” Moms Demand Action advocate Kristin Bowen testified. “Instead, this tragic shooting was enabled by our weak gun laws.”
Missouri is known for having some of the laxest gun laws in the country. No permit is needed to buy a gun and the state allows for open carry.
“Constant heartbreak cannot and should not be our reality in Missouri,” Bowen said. “Lawmakers should commit themselves to advocating for policies that will truly end the crisis of gun violence in our state.”
Democrats on the Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee said they will do everything they can to make sure this bill doesn’t go into law.
“Here we are with a bill, weeks after I remember being in a group chat text with colleagues in the Senate, Republican and Democrat, concerned whether or not they were safe for those on the Kansas City side of the state that attended the Chiefs parade,” Sen. Brian Williams, D-University City, said.
The committee did not vote on the bill Wednesday and it’s unclear if the legislation has a path forward.
Over in the House, Majority Leader Jon Patterson, D-Lee’s Summit, said last month that representatives will not be acting on two pro-gun bills because it’s inappropriate following the Kansas City parade shooting.
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