April 8, 2021

On the same day President Joe Biden launched his gun control initiative, the Second Amendment Preservation Act passed another major milestone when the Senate General Laws Committee (chaired by Sen. Bill Eigel) voted 6 to 2 to "do pass" HB 85 and send it on to the full Senate.

The committee approved a "Senate Committee Substitute" that was the result of weeks of study and negotiating with stakeholders, especially law-enforcement interests.

Follow this link to read the actual bill text and a "change log" that explains the differences between this version and the version passed by the House:  www.mofirst.org/issues/docs/SCS-HB85-0767S_09C.pdf

We had to make a few compromises that I would have preferred not to make, but MO SAPA is still the strongest SAPA I know about among the 15 or so states that are following our lead. It still makes it illegal for ALL Missouri officials to provide any assistance in the enforcement of ALL federal gun controls laws against honest citizens.

And HB 85 still includes a private cause of action (e.g. citizens can sue), so you don't have to wait for government to protect you from the government.  The bills specifies a $50,000 penalty, per occurrence, plus court costs when a citizen prevails.

HB 85 still protects law enforcement officers when their superiors make them choose between their job and honoring their oath of office by telling them they have to help Joe Biden with his gun-grabbing agenda.


THE NEXT CHALLENGE

The next step for HB 85 is for Senator Dave Schatz to ask for the bill to be reported out of committee and then place it on the Senate HOUSE BILLS ON THIRD READ Calendar.

If you check out that calendar, you'll see that there is only one House bill listed. That's because Senator Schatz is refusing to move most House bills until the House takes up his bill (SB 262) to raise the motor fuel tax.

This year's legislative session will over on May 14th, so any delays getting SAPA to the Senate floor and passed is just not acceptable.


ACTION ITEM

The ball is in Senator Schatz court, so tell him not to put a fuel tax increase ahead of his duty (see Article I Section 23) to defend our 2nd Amendment rights.

Here's Senator Schatz web page and contact info: https://www.senate.mo.gov/mem26/

In liberty,

- Ron

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And now that the legislators and do-gooders have so futilely inflicted so many systems upon society, may they finally end where they should have begun: May they reject all systems, and try liberty; for liberty is an acknowledgment of faith in God and His works. --  Frédéric Bastiat - "The Law"

Ron Calzone