Now that the 2013 session of the Missouri General Assembly has convened, your NRA-ILA has learned of some disturbing anti-gun bills that have been introduced. These bills are designed to infringe upon the rights of law-abiding citizens and would do nothing to address criminal activity.
Senate Bill 124, sponsored by state Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal (D-14), requires a parent or guardian to notify a school district, or the governing body of a private or charter school, that he or she owns a firearm within thirty days of enrolling the child in school or becoming the owner of a firearm. This legislation does nothing but require a parent or guardian to reveal private information of gun ownership and in no way would this requirement deter crime. SB 124 has been assigned to the Senate General Laws Committee.
House Bill 187, sponsored by state Representative Stacey Newman (D-87), would require all sales or transfers of firearms be processed through a licensed firearms dealer. This type of legislation is the first step in “universal registration” and clearly over-reaches and infringes on our Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Imagine a grandfather who wants to give a family shotgun to his twelve-year-old grandson having to conduct a criminal background check on his grandson before passing down the shotgun.
It is ALREADY a federal felony for any private person to sell, trade, give, lend, rent or transfer a gun to a person you know or should have known is not legally allowed to own, purchase or possess a firearm. Further regulation is only infringing upon the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Missouri gun owners.
Gun control measures have proven time and time again to be useless at reducing violent crime rates. Criminals, by definition, have zero regard for the law. Criminals simply do not obey gun bans, register their firearms or comply with any gun control schemes. As a result, only law-abiding citizens will obey the law and be left defenseless. Anti-gun measures are successful at one thing only - encroaching on law-abiding citizens’ Second Amendment rights!
While these bills have not yet been scheduled for committee hearings, we ask that you contact your state Senator and state Representative TODAY and respectfully urge him or her to oppose SB 124 and HB 187 respectively.
For help identifying your legislators and their contact information, please click here.
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