On Sunday, “60 Minutes” reporter Norah O’Donnell examined Missouri’s Second Amendment Preservation Act (SAPA) which claims to invalidate all federal gun control laws and prohibits state and local cooperation with enforcement of those laws. Several members of law enforcement oppose the new law and surprisingly, so do many gun enthusiasts.
“I shoot once a week, at minimum,” said Butler County prosecuting attorney Kacey Proctor. “My kids shoot. My seven-year-old owns multiple firearms. I am all in favor of responsible people owning firearms, and raising their children to own firearms responsibly…What I oppose about [SAPA], and what I would ask for, to be looked at and possibly fixed, is the ability for law enforcement officers to interact with their federal partners, to go after people who are violent in nature and are committing crimes in our community.”
Poplar Bluff, Missouri police chief Danny Whiteley is one of many officers who oppose the new law. Without the aid of the federal government, he believes local investigators lack the data systems and resources to apprehend and prosecute criminals on gun charges.
“Several policemen and sheriffs that we’ve spoken to have told us they think that this law benefits criminals,” O’Donnell told Whiteley. “Is that too strong of a statement?”
“No,” Whiteley said confidently. “[I] don’t think it does, I know it does.”
State Representative Jered Taylor, who co-sponsored SAPA, was asked by O’Donnell if he would be willing to make some revisions to the law. “I’m not willing to even consider that at this point,” Taylor said. “But of course, I’m always willing to work with law enforcement and, you know, better understand the way that they operate and what they do.”
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