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Mo. House Bill Makes Proposing Gun Control Legislation A Felony Offense

Rep. Mike Leara, of St. Louis County.
(Rep. Leara's campaign site)
Rep. Mike Leara, of St. Louis County.

Updated at 2:00 p.m. with quotes from State Reps. Mike Leara (R) and Stacey Newman (D).

Lawmakers proposing gun control legislation could end up in prison under a bill introduced by a Missouri House Republican.

Rep. MikeLeara, of St. Louis County, said Tuesday that he has no illusions that his bill actually will pass and become law.

“We have legislators, both in Washington DC and in Missouri, constantly attacking our constitutional rights under the 2nd Amendment," Leara said.  "I just felt it was time to give a little bit of pushback and make a statement that we’re not gonna take this anymore."

Learaalso issued the following written statement:

“I filed HB 633 as a matter of principle and as a statement in defense of the Second Amendment rights of all Missourians. I have no illusions about the bill making it through the legislative process, but I want it to be clear that the Missouri House will stand in defense of the people’s constitutional right to keep and bear arms."

The legislation filed Monday would make members of the Missouri General Assembly guilty of a felony if they introduce legislation restricting gun rights. If convicted, lawmakers could serve prison terms of up to four years.

Leara'smeasure is the latest in a series of strident gun proposals in Missouri. It comes after a Democratic lawmaker proposed outlawing all assault weapons.

Rep. Eric Burlison of Greene County featured the assault weapons ban legislation in a recent web video in which he takes the bill to a gun range. Eventually the bill is shot and Burlison, a Republican, jokes that "it does make for a good bill."

The legislation that would control gun control legislation has been making the rounds on Twitter and prominent liberal outlets like Talking Points Memo and Think Progress. And State Rep. Stacey Newman (D, Richmond Heights), who proposed the assault weapons ban bill that was shot inBurlison'svideo, tweeted about the bill.

MO bill which would send me directly to prison. No joke. #moleghouse.mo.gov/BillSummaryPrn…— Rep. Stacey Newman (@staceynewman) February 19, 2013

Newman also told St. Louis Public Radio's Marshall Griffin that Leara's bill makes Missouri a "laughingstock."

“Things like this, they also put an emphasis on Missouri in terms of we’re the comical state, we’re the state that doesn’t take our legislation and our process seriously," Newman said.  "We’ve seen several of our legislation on comedy shows like The Daily Show.”

You can read Leara's legislation below.

HB0633by

Follow Chris McDaniel on Twitter@csmcdaniel

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Missouri Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a proud alumnus of the University of Mississippi (a.k.a., Ole Miss), and has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off the old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Mason, and their cat, Honey.
Marshall Griffin
St. Louis Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a native of Mississippi and proud alumnus of Ole Miss (welcome to the SEC, Mizzou!). He has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off an old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Liberty Belle, and their cat, Honey.
Chris McDaniel
Chris McDaniel started at St. Louis Public Radio as a political reporter, predominantly covering the race between Senator Claire McCaskill and Congressman Todd Akin. Before coming to St. Louis, Chris worked at NPR stations in Louisville, Kentucky and Columbia, Missouri, and his work has been broadcast on NPR’s national newscasts. He is a proud graduate of the University of Missouri, where he studied journalism and political science. He is also the winner of the 2011 PAX East Super Smash Bros. Tournament. Chris enjoys dogs, anything by Cormac McCarthy, and listeners like you.
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