Question 1
While dozens of states give the presumption of innocence to gun owners in the wake of a threatened or actual use of force (requiring the state to prove their guilt in court), Missouri law inverts that and requires gun owners to prove their innocence in court. Further, many states allow gun owners to assert this ‘presumption of innocence’ in a pre-trial immunity hearing. These hearings give gun owners the chance to be spared the agony of a criminal trial. And in an era when liberal prosecutors are targeting gun owners to advance a political agenda as we saw with Kyle Rittenhouse and Mark McCloskey, it’s more important than ever that we have a pre-trial hearing process to dismiss these bogus charges.
If elected, would you SIGN or VETO legislation like SB-771/HB-2559 that would enhance Missouri’s self-defense laws by providing the presumption of innocence to gun owners who are forced to defend themselves, as well as a pre-trial hearing process to spare them from going through politically motivated prosecutions?
Question 2
Anti-gun politicians in Jeff City continue to introduce legislation like SB-891/HB-1876, which would institute ‘Red Flag Gun Seizures’ here in Missouri. These laws allow virtually anyone to petition a court and make the claim that a person is a ‘danger to themselves or others’ while providing little to no evidence. Once filed, ‘Red Flag’ allegations allow a liberal judge to strip a law-abiding gun owner of his firearms before he has been arrested, indicted, or convicted of a crime. Often, this is done through ex-parte hearings that the gun owner is not allowed to know about until after the seizure order has been issued. Other GOP-controlled states are banning ‘Red Flag’ laws, requiring a felony criminal conviction before someone’s firearms can be confiscated.
If elected, would you SIGN or VETO legislation like SB-1004/HB-1651 that would ban ‘Red Flag Gun Seizure’ laws, knowing that these laws allow gun owners to be disarmed before they have ever been arrested, let alone convicted, of a crime?
Question 3
Most mass shootings happen in so-called ‘Gun-Free Zones’ where law-abiding citizens are forced to disarm. Thousands of Americans have been shot or murdered by violent criminals in these zones over the last fifteen years, because law-abiding citizens were unable to defend themselves or their loved ones, due to a deadly law that forced them to disarm.
If elected, would you SIGN or VETO legislation that eliminates government-mandated ‘Gun Free Zones,’ that leave law abiding citizens helpless against violent killers looking to rack up a body count?
Question 4
Missouri’s preemption law (572.100) prevents political subdivisions or agencies from enacting gun control laws. Without this, every city and county in the state could have their own guns laws and ensnare well-meaning gun owners with bogus charges for simply driving through these locations. Despite that, St. Louis and Kansas City are in the process of openly violating 572.100 because the law currently has no penalty provision. If this is not stopped, every liberal city and county in the state will follow suit.
If elected, would you SIGN or VETO legislation that puts civil penalties into Missouri’s preemption law, allowing gun owners to hold political subdivisions that knowingly violate 572.100 accountable with civil lawsuits?
Question 5
Over the last four years, an estimated 7,500,000 million people have illegally entered America. The Dept. of Homeland Security said that at least 70,000 of these were ‘special interest’ aliens, coming from countries that ‘promote or protect terrorism’ against the United States. Now, some are trying to use the Bruen decision to justify letting these foreign nationals possess firearms. The Missouri Constitution makes it clear that only citizens of Missouri may possess a firearm in our state.
If elected, would you SIGN or VETO legislation that would codify the Missouri constitution into state law, making it clear that foreign nationals who have entered America illegally are not allowed to possess a firearm, knowing that they’ll be able to legally buy a firearm once they’ve completed the process for entry?
Question 6
Anti-gun organizations, often funded with out-of-state resources from Michael Bloomberg, have been pushing legislation like HB-2857 for years. If passed, this would criminalize the private ownership of firearms by requiring Missourians to give the State of Missouri a list of every firearm they own! This legislation does virtually nothing to stop crime but does create a database of gun owners, making it possible for the government to attempt firearms confiscation down the road.
If elected, would you SIGN or VETO ‘Universal Gun Registration’ (or similar legislation) that would ban private party gun sales and make criminals out of Missourians who lawfully transfer firearms unless they notify the government first?
Question 7
In the wake of recent high-profile murder sprees, anti-gun politicians here in Missouri, the media and Bloomberg-funded activists in Jeff City have filed legislation like SB-1100/HB-1685 which would ban the sale of AR-15s (and standard 30-round magazines) and hundreds of related firearms because of their cosmetic features. These firearms are wildly popular and are owned by tens of thousands of Missourians.
If elected, would you SIGN or VETO legislation that bans the manufacture, sale or possession of semi-automatic firearms and their standard capacity magazines – knowing that these restrictions don’t stop crime, but are used to harass gun owners?
Question 8
Various state legislatures have already passed legislation that would make it a felony for Americans between the age of 18-20 to own firearms! And there are politicians here in Missouri who want to do the same thing, even though federal courts have held this to be unconstitutional. To be clear, these are law abiding citizens that can exercise their right to vote, serve in the military, pay taxes, get married, have careers, and enjoy every other aspect of being a legal adult.
If elected, would you SIGN or VETO legislation that would make it a crime for Missourians between the ages of 18-20 to buy and own firearms, leaving them defenseless, unable to defend themselves or their loved ones?
Question 9
Various states have passed legislation that would criminalize gun owners who do not keep their firearms under lock and key, giving violent criminals the advantage. The Radical Left has been calling for similar legislation here in Missouri, too. To be clear, these deadly “Safe Storage” laws do nothing to deter violent criminals and instead get innocent citizens raped or murdered because they can’t unlock their firearms in time!
If elected, would you SIGN or VETO legislation that would force Missourians to keep their guns in a government-approved storage device, leaving them unable to defend themselves or their loved ones in an emergency?
Question 10
St. Louis, Kansas City, and other liberal cities in Missouri are experiencing a crime wave that was enabled by their own liberal policies. By refusing to prosecute criminals, making significant portions of downtown ‘Gun Free Zones,’ and by refusing to even arrest juveniles who break the law, these cities are reaping what they have sown. Instead of addressing these issues, liberal politicians in Jeff City want to use the problem their policies enabled to make it a crime for any minor here in Missouri to possess firearms with legislation like HB-1277, HB-70, SB-217 and more.
If elected, would you SIGN or VETO legislation that would make it a crime for minors to possess firearms, acknowledging the fact that blaming a gun for the actions of criminals is not a solution and that countless Missouri youths safely handle firearms on a regular basis?
