Yesterday was a busy day here in Jeff City.
After hearing testimony previously on both bills, the Senate Transportation and Public Safety Committee approved SB-363 and SB-142 by a vote of 4-2, making them floor eligible!
Senators Travis Fitzwater, Adam Schnelting, Nick Schroer, and Justin Brown were the yes votes.
(Senator Gregory had an excused absence and both Democrats on the committee were no votes.)
SB-363 is MOFC’s enhanced Stand-Your-Ground law that would:
- Grant us the presumption of innocence following a shooting, meaning the government needs to prove our guilt instead of us proving our innocence.
- Create a pre-trial hearing process where we could assert Stand-Your-Ground. If we win at this level, the charges would be dropped!
- Clarifies that there must be probable cause to arrest someone at the scene of a shooting. This would end the possibility of someone being arrested just because someone was shot.
(MOFC’s Aaron Dorr (Left) and Senator Ben Brown, moments after presenting SB-363 in the Senate Transportation Committee.)
SB-142 is MOFC’s bill that would ban Red Flag Gun Seizures here in Missouri, even while the Democrats are trying to pass them!
Specifically SB-142 says that:
- No one can be disarmed by a court order unless he or she has been convicted of committing a violent felony, is subject to a protective order (current law), or has been convicted of other dangerous felonies.
- Anyone whose firearms are confiscated without meeting the criteria above can sue the agency who took his firearms for $50,000 in damages.
(MOFC’s Aaron Dorr (Right) with Senator Nick Schroer, moments after we presented SB-142 in the committee.
Both of these bills are now able to be added to the debate calendar, but that has not happened yet. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on this.
For Missouri,
Aaron Dorr
Political Director
Missouri Firearms Coalition