Posted: 5/18/2013 2:18:10 PM EDT
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SJR 14 would have given voters the opportunity to add the word “unalienable” to the Missouri Constitution's "right to keep and bear arms" clause. That would have been a powerful tool in legal battles relating to that right. It would have been if the bill had not been torpedoed by the most powerful guy in the General Assembly, that is.
I can't be sure why -- maybe he had a good reason -- but Speaker Tim Jones clearly did not want SJR 14 to pass. Here's the evidence: Although it was passed by the Senate and reported to the House on April 4th, it didn't come up for a vote on the House floor until the last couple of hours of the session. (Nearly a month and a half later.) Even then, it was a struggle to get it to the floor and there's reason to believe that he would not allow it to come to the floor unless it was amended -- an action that would surely kill it, since it would, then, have to go back to the Senate for another vote and inevitable filibuster. Once SJR 14 was on the House floor, Tim's cousin, Caleb Jones, did nothing to "pitch" the bill or warn of the need to pass it without amendments. Once Rep. Rick Brattin offered his pre-planned bill-killing amendment, they shut down the debate before anyone could explain the dangers of amending the bill. In spite of the lack of debate, most of the Republicans understood they needed to vote no. The voice vote was clearly in the favor of the "noes", but Speaker Jones called it for the yeas. They then shut down debate on the whole bill and voted it out. The bill then had to go back to the Senate, where it had started back on January 17th and miraculously escaped filibuster. This time, in the final minutes of session, SJR 14 succumbed to the inevitable filibuster. Now the Speaker can claim that the House "passed" the bill, even though what he did clearly set it up for failure in the Senate. If you have a chance, please ask Speaker Tim Jones why he wanted to kill SJR 14 and let me know what he says. It should be noted that a clear majority of the Missouri House of Representatives did not want the Brattin amendment and DID want to pass the Senate version of SJR 14. Missouri Second Amendment Preservation Act Waiting Governor's Signature As disappointing as the loss of SJR 14 was, we need to remember that HB 436 was a success. Speaker Jones did allow that to pass. We will see what happens if an override of a veto is needed. It may be several weeks before we know if the Governor vetoes it. Thank you to all of you who responded with phone calls and tweets today!! Too bad ,think it will be brought up in the next session? Mike |
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I agree,I've sent an e-mail to him asking why he did'nt support it.Curious if he'll respond. I thought he was one of the good guys but maybe there's more to this than meets the eye. I have to admit I don't know the inner workings of how these bills do or don't come about
Mike |