Senate members met once again to discuss a bill that would prevent state and local police from enforcing federal firearm laws. Members of the Senate Transportation Committee met Tuesday afternoon to hear the bill, which was originally presented to the legislature in 2021 and has failed to be implemented in the state multiple times since then.

The committee room was filled with law enforcement members as well as victims of gun violence, who voiced their concerns over the ‘Second Amendment Preservation Act 2.0’ brought this year by Sen. Rick Brattin, R-Harrisonville.

The bill was initially passed in 2021, but was struck down in 2024 by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. The court said that the 2021 law was unconstitutional because it violated the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, which says federal laws take precedence over state laws.

Last year, the bill was reintroduced by Rep. Hardwick, R-Dixon. That bill passed out of the House but failed to be passed out of the Senate before the legislature ended its 2025 session.

Under the provisions of the bill, any state or local law enforcement agency found enforcing federal gun policies would be subject to a $50,000 penalty per employee.

Police officers from around the state have previously criticized the bill because state police often work with federal law enforcement on criminal cases, especially narcotics cases, that also often involve gun-related charges. Missouri police officers worry that the bill would open them up to time-consuming lawsuits if they chose to collaborate with federal law enforcement.

Brattin said during the hearing that the bill is now revised to ensure it does not impede investigations into crimes involving firearms.

Still, the bill has its adversaries. Ron Calzone of Missouri First was one of the original architects of the Second Amendment Conservation Act that was initially passed in 2021.

Now, Calzone testified against the bill for the second year in a row. Calzone argues that the language of the current bill would limit police from enforcing any federal gun law, while his initial bill in 2021 would have only stopped police from enforcing specific federal laws believed to be “infringements.”

Robert Shockey, a retired police chief and executive director of the Missouri Police Chiefs Association, said the bill is a liability for the police departments.

“When this bill initially passed, almost all police departments pulled back from the federal task force, because their cops can be liable if they confiscate arms,” he said.

Last year, a representative from the Columbia Police Department also showed opposition to the bill’s passage during a hearing in the House.

Brattin said the issue is not with the law but rather the insurance companies for “misinterpreting” the legislation.