On Wednesday, the Biden Administration announced its intention to sue the state of Missouri over a law passed last year that protects residents’ Second Amendment rights from federal government overreach.
As reported by The Hill, the lawsuit was announced by Attorney General Merrick Garland, targeting Missouri’s House Bill 85 as an alleged violation of the “Supremacy Clause,” which “is preempted by federal law and violates the doctrine of intergovernmental immunity.” Garland’s Department of Justice (DOJ) will argue that the law harms cooperative efforts between the federal government, state governments, and local jurisdictions.
The law in question allows citizens of Missouri to sue either state agencies or federal agencies for up to $50,000 if they believe their Second Amendment rights have been violated.
“The penalties associated with H.B. 85 have prompted state and local agencies and individuals within those entities to withdraw support for federal law enforcement efforts,” the DOJ claimed, without evidence, “including by not sharing critical data used to solve violent crimes and withdrawing from joint federal task forces.”
“This act impedes criminal law enforcement operations in Missouri,” Garland falsely claimed. “The United States will work to ensure that our state and local law enforcement partners are not penalized for doing their jobs to keep our communities safe.”
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), who is also running for the U.S. Senate seat in Missouri this November, released a statement confirming that his office would defend the law in court.
“The Biden Department of Justice has now filed yet another partisan lawsuit that seeks to attack Missourians’ Second Amendment rights,” Schmitt wrote. “My Office has fought to continue the initiative, but this initiative has been suspended solely because of the Biden Administration’s actions. Time and again, the Biden Administration has put partisan politics ahead of public safety. Make no mistake, the law is on our side in this case, and I intend to beat the Biden Administration in court once again.”