America’s Heartland has had few pleasant things to say about the Biden administration, and now animosity rises between the two as President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice is pushing back against one state’s attempt to preserve its citizens’ rights to keep and bear arms.
Republican Gov. Mike Parson of Missouri signed the “Second Amendment Preservation Act” on June 10, penalizing Missouri police for enforcing any federal gun control legislation, not codified in state law, that could potentially be passed by a Democrat-controlled Congress and signed by the president.
The move came in response to Biden’s push for bolstered gun restrictions, a promise he made even during his 2020 candidacy.
And, of course, Biden’s Justice Department isn’t sitting this one out.
On Thursday, The Associated Press reported on the DOJ’s warning to Missouri officials that federal gun laws cannot be ignored.
In a letter obtained by the AP, Justice Department officials cited the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, maintaining that this clause “outweighs” Missouri’s signed legislation.
Ironically, while quoting the Constitution, these DOJ officials failed to refer back to the Second Amendment.
After all, “shall not be infringed” seems rather self-explanatory.
Still, the left’s takedown of the Second Amendment won’t stop anytime soon, and it’s up to the states to make their voices heard.
“The public safety of the people of the United States and citizens of Missouri is paramount,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton wrote in the obtained letter.
Boynton argued that Missouri’s law infringed upon the “working relationship between federal and local authorities” and also carefully noted that the state of Missouri receives “federal grants and technical assistance,” according to the AP.
He added that Missouri’s bill “conflicts with federal firearms laws and regulation” and reiterated that federal law supersedes any laws passed by states before saying that “federal agents and the U.S. attorney’s offices in the state would continue to enforce all federal firearms laws and regulations,” in the AP’s words.
Of course, Parson didn’t act without knowledge of the repercussions he — and the state he governs — might face in light of the law’s passage.
“The Governor is aware of the legal implications of this bill, but also that, now more than ever, we must define a limited role for federal government in order to protect citizen’s rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution,” a spokeswoman for the governor, Kelli Jones, said in a statement, according to The Kansas City Star.
“This is about empowering people to protect themselves and acknowledging the federalist constitutional structure of our government,” she added.
Where the federal government fails to protect its citizens’ constitutional rights, it appears a number of state governments will step in to compensate — but not without scrutiny.
The Biden administration has no regard for one of the most integral components of America’s founding. That much is clear.
It’s ironic that any state statute loosening federal gun restrictions receives scrutiny for violating federal law while laws pertaining to other issues — state decriminalization of marijuana, for instance — never receive any attention for violating federal law (in this case, the Controlled Substances Act).
Why the double standard? Why all the emphasis on gun control?
Perhaps because it’s a key priority of the Biden administration and the president wants to make good on his campaign messaging.
Biden has touted “taking on” the National Rifle Association, praised himself for pioneering previous gun control measures — including the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 — and “secured the passage of 10-year bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines,” according to his webpage.
He also pledged to “defeat the NRA again,” “hold gun manufacturers accountable” and “ban the manufacture and sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines,” among other things.
If we allow any of these “promises” to come to fruition, it’s sure to become a slippery slope for gun-grabbing going forward.
After all, Biden has already shown us his own belief that his words are final and supposedly inerrant.
Biden seems to have forgotten — or never cared, rather — about the truth that states like Missouri now reiterate: Free people do not ask for permission to exercise their rights.
Free people do not ask for permission to keep and bear arms.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
