The pre-filing period has opened for the Missouri Legislature. One bill, proposed by Rep. Stacey Newman (D-St. Louis), would make access to guns for Missourians as abortions. Missouri has had one of the most restrictive laws on abortion access in the country, upheld by a much less conservative US Supreme Court than this one. Ms. Newman is challenging what she sees as the hypocrisy of state politicians in protecting preborn fetuses while ignoring the problem of gun violence. The San Bernardino shootings, the biggest in US history since the Sandy Hook shootings, have reignited the gun debate in this country.
As reported by St. Louis Magazine, the bill would require a 72 hour waiting period before purchasing a gun, meeting with a licensed physician to discuss the risks of gun ownership, obtain written approval from a physician, buy the gun from a licensed gun dealer 120 miles from the person's home, review the medical risks of gun ownership with the gun dealer including pictures of dead victims of gun violence and alternatives to conflict resolution, watch a 30-minute video about gun violence, tour an emergency trauma center between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am and obtain written verification from a doctor, and meet with at least two families who have been victimized by gun violence as well as at least two pastors who have officiated at a funeral of someone who was a victim of gun violence.
Jezebel, a website covering women's issues, also notes that prospective gun owners would be evaluated for potential problems; quoting the bill:
Such physician shall then evaluate the prospective firearm purchaser for such indicators and contraindicators and risk factors and determine if such firearm purchase would increase such purchaser’s risk of experiencing an adverse physical, emotional, or other health reaction.
Ms. Newman, as quoted in St. Louis, says:
“If we truly insist that Missouri cares about ‘all life’, then we must take immediate steps to address our major cities rising rates of gun violence,” Newman said. “Popular proposals among voters, including universal background checks and restricting weapons from abuser and convicted felons, are consistently ignored each session. Since restrictive policies regarding a constitutionally protected medical procedure are the GOP’s legislative priority each year, it makes sense that their same restrictions apply to those who may commit gun violence. Our city mayors and law enforcement drastically need help in saving lives.”
The bill will likely go nowhere in the Missouri Legislature, which increased its veto-proof Republican majority in the 2014 election after bucking national trends and securing a veto-proof majority in the 2012 election. The bill will, however, fuel pro-gun rights advocates who feel that gun control advocates are simply trying to find ways to confiscate guns from law-abiding citizens. Several Republican Presidential candidates have argued that an armed citizen would have stopped the San Bernardino shootings and saved lives. However, one armed citizen at a recent mass shooting on a college campus in Oregon stated that he did not use his weapon for fear that police would mistake him for the shooter and add to the confusion and chaos.
One approach, proposed by GOP Presidential Candidate John Kasich, would prohibit access to guns for people who are on terror watch lists, which are used to prohibit certain people from flying. However, those lists have come under fire because they have snagged law-abiding civilians in the process; it is exceedingly difficult for someone to get off the list once they are placed on one.
Other gun rights advocates have argued along the lines of those who advocated for the repeal of prohibition. Their argument is that if law-abiding citizens were denied access to guns, only the criminals would have access to guns. Similarly, The Nation, which had long advocated for Prohibition before 1932, abruptly reversed course and advocated for its repeal. They argued that it would give people much more disposable income that would no longer go to the beer and liquor industry. But they said that they found that the government, after some initial successes which contributed to the prosperity of the 1920's, was increasingly uninterested in enforcing such a ban and that violations were becoming increasingly more common, meaning that the only people who were benefitting were the criminal enterprises. California has one of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation, yet it did not prevent the San Bernardino shooters from obtaining their guns and ammunition, some of which was purchased through a friend. The success of any gun control measure passed by either the states or municipalities will depend on the willingness of authorities to enforce such measures.
The bill was one of 434 measures proposed on December 1st, the first day that legislators can pre-file legislation according to stats from Missouri Digital News. Most bills do not become law; many are combined with other bills and others are not proposed with any hope of passage, but to fuel debate. Ms. Newman's bill falls in the latter category.
