A federal appeals court in St. Louis has ruled that a Missouri law declaring some federal gun regulations as “invalid” is unconstitutional because it violates the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause. The law in question, the Second Amendment Preservation Act, was passed in 2021 and imposes a $50,000 fine on law enforcement agencies that enforce certain federal gun laws.
The court’s three-judge panel unanimously agreed with a district court ruling from last year that blocked Missouri from enforcing the law. Some of the federal gun regulations deemed invalid by the law include imposing taxes on firearms and requiring gun owners to register their weapons.
The U.S. Department of Justice had filed a lawsuit challenging the law, arguing that it undermined federal drug and weapons investigations. The Supreme Court denied a request to allow Missouri to enforce the law while the appeal was ongoing.
Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who had pushed for the law, is reviewing the decision and reiterated his commitment to fighting for Missourians’ Second Amendment rights. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas praised the court’s decision, calling the law clearly unconstitutional and expressing disappointment in the time and energy spent on the effort.
This ruling reaffirms the supremacy of federal law over conflicting state laws, emphasizing the importance of upholding the U.S. Constitution.
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