A bill introduced last week in the Missouri House of Representatives would attempt to send state legislators to prison if they attempt to pass stricter gun control.
“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,” states House Bill 633, sponsored by Rep. Mike Leara, R-St. Louis.
The one-line bill was first introduced Monday and instantly received national attention, grabbing headlines on the Huffington Post, Fox News and other major news outlets.
Leara himself said he considers the bill to be a symbolic measure that won’t gain actual traction in the House.
“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,” Leara said in a news release.
HB633 builds on previously introduced legislation that would also restrict the ability of both state and federal lawmakers to increase current gun control regulations in Missouri.
Earlier this month, Sen. Brian Munzlinger, R-Williamstown, sponsored bills that would make it illegal for state and federal officials to enforce any gun regulations more restrictive than those in place at the beginning of 2013.
HB633 is also largely a reaction to a piece of legislation introduced the week prior, House Bill 545. Sponsored by Rep. Rory Ellinger, D-University City, it seeks to outlaw the purchase and manufacture of assault weapons and other high-capacity firearms. Like HB633, Ellinger’s bill does not seem likely to be passed by the House.
The two bills mark a distinct partisan divide in the Capitol. Republicans hold veto-proof majorities in both the House and the Senate, and conservative lawmakers have already publicly opposed HB545. Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Springfield, uploaded a video to Youtube last week in which he uses a copy of HB545 [as target practice at a gun range](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMIeeIr3Ngs).
