Your Reaction: County Police Chief's Letter Against Gun Rights Act

The Missouri Legislature passed the Second Amendment Preservation Act; Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed it. On Sept. 11, the legislature will convene and will consider whether to override the veto.

If approved, the law basically "declares invalid" any "past, present, or future federal acts...that infringe on the people's right to keep and bear arms." It says such laws or measures "are invalid, will not be recognized, are specifically rejected, and will be considered null and void and of no effect in this state."

St. Louis County Police Chief Tim Fitch wrote this letter to House Speaker Tim Jones on Thursday. Tell us what you think about the law and Fitch's reaction.

Dear Representative Jones:

As you know, Governor Nixon vetoed House Bill No. 436. On September 11, 2013, the general assembly will convene to consider overriding the veto on this bill.

I fully support the general assembly’s desire to protect Missourians’ rights under the Second Amendment. After the tragedy at Newtown, I publicly stated that newly proposed federal gun restrictions would have no impact on crime in St. Louis County. My feeling is that existing gun laws, both federal and state, should be aggressively enforced and followed up with long prison sentences for habitual offenders.

This is why I’m writing to you today. House Bill No. 436, if it becomes law, will hinder local law enforcement’s ability to enforce existing laws. The men and women of the St. Louis County Police Department work every day with our federal partners to enforce these laws. Sections 5 and 7 will cause us to disband our local task forces, which have a real impact on violent crime in our community. Additionally, it will subject our police officers to additional civil liability. Our job is difficult enough Without the threat of more lawsuits.

If the general assembly desires to proceed with this bill, our suggestion would be to allow the veto to stand and revisit this type of legislation during the next session by removing Sections 5 and 7. Your local law enforcement agencies are depending on you to help us keep our communities safe.

Sincerely,