House Approves Bills Focused on Protecting the Second Amendment Rights of Missourians (HB 170 and HB 436)
The ongoing fiasco with the Department of Revenue has reinforced the fact that, as a state, we must remain ever vigilant in our defense of the Second Amendment rights of Missourians. The truth is there are federal bureaucrats who want to diminish the gun rights of law-abiding Missourians, and we have seen a push on the federal level to move toward more restrictions on gun owners. It is a philosophy that runs contrary to the way the majority of Missourians believe, which is that our fundamental right to keep and bear arms must not be infringed upon or weakened.
This week the Missouri House stood together to send a strong message that we will not allow the Second Amendment rights of Missourians to be eroded, and in fact that our legislative body supports stronger gun rights for law-abiding citizens. One bill (HB 170) would make federal laws that restrict gun ownership or require registration of a gun or magazine unenforceable in Missouri. In fact, it would make it a felony offense for any federal agent or official to attempt to enforce federal laws that violate our Second Amendment rights.
Another bill we approved (HB 436) reinforces that stance by establishing the Second Amendment Preservation Act. In essence, the act says that any past, present or future federal acts, laws or orders that infringe on our right to keep and bear arms will be considered null and void and of no effect here in Missouri. In fact, the bill makes it the duty of the courts and law enforcement agencies of Missouri to protect the rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms within the borders of the state.
In effect, both bills work together to give our state a shield that we can use to protect Missourians from the overreaching attempts of the federal government to infringe upon our Second Amendment rights. As one of my colleagues said on the House floor, “We, as a legislative body in Missouri, are going to have to put ourselves between the citizens of Missouri and the federal government when it comes to one of our most basic, fundamental, constitutional rights.” That is exactly what these bills do, which is why I was happy to support them both.
House Approves Bill to Protect Children from Abuse and Neglect (HB 505)
Another bill we approved this week would strengthen Missouri’s laws dealing with the reporting of suspected child abuse and neglect. The legislation would take important steps to make mandated reporters more accountable so that fewer abuse and neglect cases fall through the cracks.
The bill is meant to prevent tragedies similar to what we saw happen at Penn State where a case of sexual abuse that was witnessed by a university employee went unreported. HB 505 would require that current mandated reporters such as teachers make the call to the state child abuse hotline when they witness probable child abuse or neglect. The bill would eliminate an option that exists under current law that allows witnesses to report suspected cases to their superior. The change is an important one to make to ensure all suspected cases of abuse and neglect are reported and investigated.
The bill also would prevent an institution from performing its own internal investigation before making a hotline call. In addition, it would prevent employers from impeding or inhibiting a mandatory reporter from making a report, and it would ensure employers do not impose any adverse employment action on employees who make hotline calls.
The sad truth is that we have seen too many cases where suspected abuse or report has been reported to a supervisor but not forwarded on to the Missouri Children’s Division for investigation. With this bill, we want to make absolutely certain that all cases are reported and that the best interests of children are always put first. The legislation gives us an effective way to protect children.
As always, please do not hesitate to call or write me anytime with your questions or thoughts on these or any other issue. My Capitol office phone number is 573-751-3971 and my email is wanda.brown@house.mo.gov.
