• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • The power of teamwork
      Stay awake and alert on the job
      The worst rank in law enforcement
      Firearms maintenance
      Why fries need salt
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • Louisiana wildlife officer rescues girl trapped underneath boat
        Detroit law enforcement agencies continue fight against freeway...
        Law enforcement agencies prepare for civil unrest following leaked...
        Arizona troopers find nearly 40 pounds of fentanyl pills and cocaine...
        Equipment and training considerations for pistol-mounted optics
    • Labor
      • The “great resignation” brings staffing troubles to Missouri law...
        NYPD overtime expected to surpass budget by over $142 million to...
        Portland police shut down cold case unit to reinforce homicide...
        Living in the ashes
        Atlanta mayor wants to hire 450 more police officers to expand...
    • Tech
      • Illinois police unveil new technology, more body cameras to promote...
        High-tech policing
        Open-source investigations
        Virginia lawmakers lift ban on the use of facial recognition...
        Iowa State University simulation training module offers de-escalation...
    • Training
      • “The hidden danger is the water”
        Weapon retention
        Developing trauma-informed training and drills for K–12 schools
        Crime prevention training
        So you want to be a civilian firearms trainer?
    • Policy
      • New Jersey governor proposes police licensing plan to boost...
        New York court suspends familial DNA searching by law enforcement
        New Jersey Supreme Court weighs in on police marijuana impairment...
        Court says man arrested for making fake P.D. Facebook page did not...
        Orange County D.A. unveils new PSA against street racing with actors...
    • Health/Wellness
      • Police departments look to expand chaplain programs to provide...
        What anxiety is — and what not to do about it
        Supporting a partner in crisis
        Spiritual resilience
        Overcoming relationship communication challenges
    • Community
      • Pennsylvania police introduce civilian response team to answer...
        LGBTQ police officers allowed to participate in Denver PrideFest...
        California police department helps pay for families’ groceries as a...
        “I thought he was going to die”: 6-year-old calls police to save...
        Treated like royalty
    • Offbeat
      • Oops, wrong number! South Carolina drug dealer arrested after...
        Port Authority officers capture missing puppy that journeyed from...
        Nevada woman tries to fool police with fake license plate using...
        Maine police arrest man hiding under a blanket in ghost disguise
        Texas burglar mows the lawn before fleeing police
    • We Remember
      • A living legacy
        Not in vain
        Honoring Fallen Heroes
        Florida law enforcement, legislators weigh whether to classify...
        National Law Enforcement Museum offers free Saturday admission for...
  • On the Job
    • Louisiana wildlife officer rescues girl trapped underneath boat
      Detroit law enforcement agencies continue fight against freeway...
      Law enforcement agencies prepare for civil unrest following leaked...
      Arizona troopers find nearly 40 pounds of fentanyl pills and cocaine...
      Equipment and training considerations for pistol-mounted optics
  • Labor
    • The “great resignation” brings staffing troubles to Missouri law...
      NYPD overtime expected to surpass budget by over $142 million to...
      Portland police shut down cold case unit to reinforce homicide...
      Living in the ashes
      Atlanta mayor wants to hire 450 more police officers to expand...
  • Tech
    • Illinois police unveil new technology, more body cameras to promote...
      High-tech policing
      Open-source investigations
      Virginia lawmakers lift ban on the use of facial recognition...
      Iowa State University simulation training module offers de-escalation...
  • Training
    • “The hidden danger is the water”
      Weapon retention
      Developing trauma-informed training and drills for K–12 schools
      Crime prevention training
      So you want to be a civilian firearms trainer?
  • Policy
    • New Jersey governor proposes police licensing plan to boost...
      New York court suspends familial DNA searching by law enforcement
      New Jersey Supreme Court weighs in on police marijuana impairment...
      Court says man arrested for making fake P.D. Facebook page did not...
      Orange County D.A. unveils new PSA against street racing with actors...
  • Health/Wellness
    • Police departments look to expand chaplain programs to provide...
      What anxiety is — and what not to do about it
      Supporting a partner in crisis
      Spiritual resilience
      Overcoming relationship communication challenges
  • Community
    • Pennsylvania police introduce civilian response team to answer...
      LGBTQ police officers allowed to participate in Denver PrideFest...
      California police department helps pay for families’ groceries as a...
      “I thought he was going to die”: 6-year-old calls police to save...
      Treated like royalty
  • Offbeat
    • Oops, wrong number! South Carolina drug dealer arrested after...
      Port Authority officers capture missing puppy that journeyed from...
      Nevada woman tries to fool police with fake license plate using...
      Maine police arrest man hiding under a blanket in ghost disguise
      Texas burglar mows the lawn before fleeing police
  • We Remember
    • A living legacy
      Not in vain
      Honoring Fallen Heroes
      Florida law enforcement, legislators weigh whether to classify...
      National Law Enforcement Museum offers free Saturday admission for...
  • Between the Lines
    • Persecution of the LEO is Classic Schadenfreude
      The Rule of Law is Worthless Without Order
      School policing: a paradox of the defund movement
      Defending the honor of the LE profession – finally!
      The dichotomy of the defund movement: reality setting in
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Policy

Missouri passes law prohibiting local police from enforcing federal gun laws

APB Team Published November 17, 2021 @ 1:00 pm PST

ExcaliburMedia

Missouri passed a law in the spring seeking to protect the Second Amendment by prohibiting state and local police from enforcing federal gun laws, which is concerning some law enforcement officials.

The law, known as the Second Amendment Preservation Act (SAPA), will fine state and local law enforcement agencies up to $50,000 dollars per violation for aiding the federal government to enforce gun regulations that Missouri deems an infringement on Second Amendment gun rights.

“All federal… laws… and regulations… that infringe on the people’s right to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the [U.S.] Constitution… and the Constitution of Missouri… shall be… rejected by this state… and shall not be enforced by this state,” the bill states.

The bill was created as a response to what Republican legislators considered federal overreach after President Joe Biden called for stricter gun control laws and a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and was hailed by Missouri Governor Mike Parson.

However, some Missouri law enforcement officials are concerned the law will hinder them from doing their job.

Kacey Proctor, the prosecutor for Butler County, told CBS News: “I think a lotta people when they hear about this bill– at least a lotta people in Missouri that have heard, they think, ‘This is great. The state of Missouri’s told the federal government to go mind their own business and stay away from our guns.’ But what this bill does is impact a local law enforcement officer’s ability to do their job.”

Proctor, who claims to be in favor of expanding Second Amendment protections, said he hopes the law will be changed to allow more cooperation between state and federal law enforcement.

“What I oppose about it, and what I would ask for to be– to be looked at and possibly fixed is the ability for law enforcement officers to interact with their federal partners to go after people who are violent in nature and are– committing crimes in our community.”

As it stands, SAPA will ban state resources from being used to aid the federal government to further Biden’s gun control agenda. The law also dictates the circumstances by which a state or local officer can help federal agents investigate or prosecute gun crimes.

Missouri prosecutor Steven Sokoloff said the law was vague and poorly worded, putting officers in a difficult situation.

“And the problem here is that — that it has a tremendously chilling effect on law enforcement officers because they’re put in a position of guessing about what conduct is prohibited by the statute,” Sokoloff said.

Since the passage of the law, Missouri agencies have removed officers from federal task forces searching for illegal guns. The state highway patrol has also stopped providing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) with information to support their investigations.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas criticized the timing of the law as the murder rate in Missouri is currently double the national average.

Lucas said that federal support is key to managing the amount of crime.

When asked why local law enforcement needs help from federal agencies, Lucas responded: “The volume of crime. The volume of incidents. On a night in Kansas City, you can have multiple people shot. In the same way that if you have a severe storm hit a city, we bring in federal resources to help us with that crisis.”

Officials are concerned that local police will think twice about trying to stop someone who they suspect possesses an illegal gun.

In addition, county prosecutors are having to dispense with federal resources to avoid being fined.

Poplar Bluff Chief Danny Whiteley said they’re on their own when investigating gun crimes. SAPA has restricted their access to federal prosecutors, investigators, and databases, Whiteley said. He also believes that the law benefits criminals.

When asked about agencies halting all cooperation with federal law enforcement, Missouri legislator and supporter of the bill Jered Taylor disagreed.

“And there are several that are still working with them,” he said. “I think it’s unfortunate because I don’t think that this law prohibits that (working with federal agencies),” he added.

Other states like Texas and South Carolina have passed similar gun sanctuary or open carry laws that have also been met with controversy by law enforcement.

Categories: Policy Tags: Law Enforcement, policy, Missouri, Joe Biden, federal gun laws, Second Amendment Preservation Act, gun control, Mike Parson, prosecutor, ATF

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • New Jersey governor proposes police licensing plan to boost accountability
  • Louisiana wildlife officer rescues girl trapped underneath boat
  • Oops, wrong number! South Carolina drug dealer arrested after mistakenly texting deputy
  • Police departments look to expand chaplain programs to provide spiritual counseling to traumatized officers
  • Port Authority officers capture missing puppy that journeyed from Brooklyn to New Jersey
  • Nevada woman tries to fool police with fake license plate using Cracker Jack stickers
  • The “great resignation” brings staffing troubles to Missouri law enforcement
  • Pennsylvania police introduce civilian response team to answer nonviolent calls
  • New York court suspends familial DNA searching by law enforcement
  • New Jersey Supreme Court weighs in on police marijuana impairment tests

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The power of teamwork

The power of teamwork

July 23, 2021

Stay awake and alert on the job

Stay awake and alert on the job

July 20, 2021

The worst rank in law enforcement

The worst rank in law enforcement

July 19, 2021

Firearms maintenance

Firearms maintenance

July 04, 2021

Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2022 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close
Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.