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This story may appear to be some kind of parody, making the Republican protagonist out to be a foolish caricature who couldn't exist in reality, but as best as I can tell, this is real.
A Missouri state lawmaker wants to make it a crime to propose any gun control legislation. Mike Leara, a Republican who represents suburban St. Louis, introduced a bill making it a class D felony for any member of the Missouri legislator to introduced a bill to that effect.
"Any member of the general assembly who proposes a piece of legislation that further restricts the right of an individual to bear arms, as set forth under the second amendment of the Constitution of the United States, shall be guilty of a class D felony," the bills reads.
You read that right. Under Leara's proposal, it would be a crime to introduce a legislative proposal on gun control. Members of Missouri's legislature would run the risk of being arrested and being charged as a felon simply for proposing restrictions on firearms.
Leara added he has "no illusions" about his measure becoming law, but he unveiled his plan anyway "as a statement in defense of the Second Amendment rights of all Missourians."
I see.
Now, this is probably about the time I'm supposed to mention that restrictions on civilians owning weapons are not unconstitutional, and even Supreme Court justices like Antonin Scalia have endorsed "longstanding prohibitions" on firearm ownership from felons and the mentally ill, guns in government buildings, limits on the commercial sale of guns, and bans on "dangerous and unusual weapons," including "M-16 rifles and the like."
But let's put that aside and consider a different question: why would someone like Mike Leara fear a debate?
Missouri's state House has a Republican majority and its state Senate has a Republican majority. The likelihood that the General Assembly is going to approve sweeping new gun-control laws that violate the Second Amendment is, to put it mildly, remote.
But even if the state legislature were dominated by clones of Michael Bloomberg, Dianne Feinstein, and Frank Lautenberg, it still wouldn't explain why it should be a crime to introduce a bill on guns. After all, what would happen? Presumably there would be committee hearings; policymakers would study the bill's efficacy and legality; and there would be a spirited debate.
Maybe the gun-control bill would be awful, maybe it'd be great. Perhaps lawmakers would look at the gun-control and think it has merit, perhaps they'd conclude the opposite. But to try to make it a crime to even suggest changes to gun laws makes it seem as if Leara is worried about having a debate in the first place. Having state lawmakers discuss limits on firearms is so alarming, the mere possibility should be prevented -- indeed, in this case, it should be deemed felonious -- as if fealty towards the Second Amendment requires us to ignore the First.
Why would anyone be afraid of a debate?
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They should make it a felony to pass laws about birth control.
I am from MO. I heard this and thought it was a joke. Where do these people come up with crap like this?
Off the subject, Why isn't anyone looking into Cheney's ties with Halliburton? How much money did they rake in during the Iraq war? I watched Hubris last night. Great!!
We need to stop falling for this ploy. Of course the guy's not dumb enough to think this is legitimate legislation, that it could ever get passed or that it would withstand an 8-year-old's constitutional scrutiny. That's beside the point. The point, as usual with the junior high crowd called the GOP, is to piss off liberals. It distracts Democrats from doing more productive things, and gives GOP legislators something to show their base as evidence of how unreasonable, overly emotional, and humorless those nasty libruls are.
What we really need is a dedicated, nationwide team of people in clown outfits photobombing the press conferences of these jokers. Short of that, we should mock, not get incredulous and/or point out in excruciating detail how stupid this stunt is. It just lends it undeserved legitimacy. I appreciate Benen's contrarian take on the episode, but seriously, it's a point and laugh moment, not an opportunity to psychoanalyze the Rep.
Let's see Obama abolishes the first ammendment and you have this to say. We need our guns with Bush abolishing the 4th an 5th ammendments with the unpatriot act...obama making it a felony to protest any where near a public official, writing legislation to assassinate american citizens who received no trial.. his obamacare( which I am in favor of ) being in direct violation of the 26th or28th ammendment( I forgetwhich one at this moment) but it is one of them.YEAH KEEP LIVING ON FANTAY ISLAND!!! FREEDOM IS DEAD ...
It's a little early in the day still, so I can't tell if this is snark or not. Apologies if I'm misreading. There are only 27 amendments to the Constitution, and No. 26 establishes the voting age at 18, so it would appear, if the above isn't snark, that you have no idea what you're talking about. Nor, for that matter, do I have any idea what you're talking about, after reading your post three times. Presidents "abolishing" amendments?
So, there are apparently long-standing prohibitions on guns in government buildings. But if the NRA and their bought-and-paid-for legislators are really sincere in their support of what they think the Second Amendment means, shouldn't they vote to repeal those laws at the same time that they vote to allow the unrestricted purchase of guns in their districts or across the country? Just sayin'.
Yes. Let's now start making it illegal to pass laws.
I , through lack of knowledge and interest, voted for Republicans until after Our 2010 elections. My change came before March of 2011, between what was happening in South Carolina and Washington I learned to broaden My mind and expand My knowledge by going on line and cable news { MSNBC and PBS } taking Me away from 30 minutes each of local and national news as My only source.
Mr. Leara's biography:
"Rep. Mike Leara, a Republican, represents part of St. Louis County, which includes the City of Sunset Hills and Fenton (District 96) in the Missouri House of Representatives.
In addition to his legislative duties, Rep. Leara attends Abiding Savior Lutheran Church. He is a member of the Sunset Hills – Crestwood Chamber of Commerce and the Fenton Chamber of Commerce.
A 1978 graduate of Southwest High School, Rep. Leara attended St. Louis Community College at Meramec and Saint Louis University.
Born March 27, 1960, Rep. Leara currently resides in unincorporated St. Louis County near Sunset Hills."
... pretty thin. Looks like he's just a college dropout who tried to make a living by getting elected. LOL
I lived in Columbia, MO for a year and a half. A very small island of sanity surrounded by a whole lot of nutjobs.
>>no guns in government buildings<<
Hey, if the rest of us have to fear mayhem in our workplaces, then the legislators and judges should face the same risks! If concealed weapons are alowed in our shops and streets, by all means lets permit them in courts and capitols!!
Every day, the repubs just get weirder and weirder. At this point, it's WAY beyond surreal.
I'm convinced that there is a raging epidemic of some new form of viral encephalitis infecting right-wingers. Perhaps it's being brought about by the repub internecine warfare between the foam-flecked teabag fringe and the old-boy oligarchs. They are eating each other alive. So this new brain-eating disease may be caused by political cannibalism--same as Mad Cow disease is caused by feeding the animals bovine by-products.
What should we call this terrible malady? Mad Republican Disease? Republican Spongiform Encephalopathy?
What would one expect from a right-wing NUT? Obviously, the crazy people in state legislators need to get some attention to appease their NRA goons and tea-bagger THUGS!!!!! Obviously, this UNCONSTITUTIONAL and JUST PLAIN STUPID!!!! Who votes for these people and THEN LETS THEM WASTE TAX=PAYER'S MONEY!!!!
ApparentLEA, Mike DE-Leara-OUS is yet another facist extreme perfectionist radical taliban styled extortionist who would rather go to work for Bashar Al Assad as his chief PERSECUTOR since he has no real talent for anything beyond stupidity. What the u.s. really needs is a law that charges nutcases like him for treasonous action against the constitution of the united states. life in prison for the likes of these thieves would be a start.
Why have the words "well-regulated' seemed to have disappeared from this discussion?
Mainly because it only has to do with militias not guns. Read the whole amendment text. Only people with an agenda see that part as regulating firearms.
On the other hand, only people with an agenda see that part as irrelevant.
@inspector - gun rights advocates would be wise not to focus much on the actual wording of the 2nd amendment. Because, contrary to your assertion, the simple word "Militia" defeats your entire purpose. Pointing up the fact that the lead-in language is "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary..." only invites the question of whether or not the entire 2nd amendment is simply an anachronism. As I think everyone could agree the underlying purpose of the amendment itself, to provide for a "well-regulated" (ie, effective and organized) defensive force, has been fairly well achieved through maintaining the largest standing military in the history of the globe by a factor of 10, then it seems commonsensical to me, at least, that private citizens don't actually need access to weaponry (contra the situation in 1791). People should be talking about repeal, if only to move the Overton Window back to a sane place. Even if left in place, the phrase "well-regulated Militia" would imply something other than the situation currently at hand, which is a nation of 320 million people with 300 million firearms in circulation, a large portion of them stockpiled by disparate, totally unconnected individuals bearing, as a whole, about zero resemblance to an actual, functioning "Militia" of any sort, much less one that is "well-regulated."
I always wonder why folks like this gentleman only care about that one item in the Constitution. Stuff like freedom speech, freedom from unlawful search and seizure -- you know, all that other trivial stuff, they're not so much for that.
Why would anyone be afraid of a debate?
Well, he might be for the same reason you don't question religion.... win or lose, it might lead to thinking.
Everyone should be watching and remembering each 2nd Amendment fanatic. This is a splendid opportunity to identify individuals and groups. So we want to encourage all of them to make their views known. The internet has infinite memory!!
He's afraid of past history in countries like China, the Soviet Union, Germany, Cuba, Cambodia, ect. In order to fully terrorize and subjugate a population you first have to disarm them. Haven't you learned that yet from past history?
For the record since so many of you here seem to be ignorant of American law, a gun ban is already illegal. Seems no one ever heard of the Dick Act of 1902. It makes it illegal to violate the Second Amendment. Gun bans are strictly prohibited and a violation of the Constitution. Too bad our representatives don't seem to know about this law.
http://www.civilrightstaskforce.info/gun_control_forbidden.htm
Um, All you guys slammin' Liberals better read the article again. This is a Republican Lawmaker, that YOU guys elected. Thanks a lot...
I find it truly disgusting that Republicans have no shame when they trample on the rights of others but would propose legislation like this to protect the second ammendment. When did the second ammendment become the only ammendment to the constitution that is important to uphold? They are sick and scary and I am thankful I will not live a whole lot longer but I do fear for future generations if people like this get their way.