The U.S. Department of Justice is suing the state, alleging a Missouri law barring police from enforcing federal gun laws is unconstitutional, and leads to a breakdown between local and federal police.
The law in question, the Second Amendment Preservation Act, allows citizens to sue local law enforcement departments for as much as $50,000 if they believe police enforcement of federal gun laws has violated the Second Amendment rights.
“On behalf of the Chief’s Association, as we have stated before and continue to state, we support this legislation and the concepts behind it, we simply would like clarification on some (of) the language,” Missouri Police Chiefs Association Bob Muenz told the St. Louis Record.
He added the legislation could bring about severe penalties on a police agency if their actions are challenged.
“There is some confusion across the state on how to interpret parts of the legislation by law enforcement as to the level of involvement we can have with federal agencies when trying to address crime in our communities,” Muenz said.
Action from the Justice Department comes as Missouri police say the law is making day-to-day police work more difficult.