The idea is to create a group known as “Missouri Minutemen” which would be comprised of state citizens who fall under the command of the governor and who could be called into action during extreme life-threatening (and chaos-inducing) emergencies.
Last week, senators debated S.B. 258, which would establish “that there shall be the minutemen of the state which shall be called into service by the governor for use in defense during a state of emergency with consent of two-thirds of the General Assembly.”
American Military News reports:
According to the legislation, any legal Missouri resident who is legally able to own a firearm will be allowed to voluntarily join the minutemen through the Department of Public Safety.
State Senator Bill White, author of the bill, said the minutemen are not a militia. They would be used in a “Civilization Threatening Event” as additional support for law enforcement and other government entities.
Under the bill, Minutemen would be required to “secure themselves with firearms, firearm accessories, ammunition, uniforms, equipment, and supplies necessary to perform any duties as assigned by the governor.”
As for how the legislation protects members from the clutches of left-wing gun grabbers, their weapons, accessories, ammo, uniforms, equipment, and supplies would, for all intents, become state property “for purposes of sovereignty and jurisdiction in matters of judicial, taxation, and police powers exercised by the state when a member is called into service,” which then protects gear and weapons from federal seizures.
Also, weapons and gear wouldn’t be subjected to registration requirements or taxation. “Only volunteer’s name and address will be recorded by the department, and the law would also prohibit the disclosure of volunteers’ information,” American Military News reported further.
“Any person responsible for any unauthorized disclosure of this list, in part or in whole, shall be subject to a $1,000 fine per each name that is disclosed and a Class E felony,” the legislation says.
As commander-in-chief of the Minutemen, the governor would also be required to publish organizational charts, training requirements, and disciplinary regulations.
Naturally, the left hates the bill.
“The problem isn’t this bill which is going nowhere, the problem is rising extremism in this country,” said Peter Lucier, a gun controller with Everytown for Gun Safety, told KDSK.
“Not only is it a distraction from those common-sense solutions, but it’s a nod towards extremists in our community and I don’t think the government should be in the business of that.”
He added: “This isn’t a bill that protects civil liberties, this isn’t a bill that helps gun owners. I think we have strong 2nd Amendment protections in Missouri, I don’t think they need to be bolstered. This is a fear-based reaction.”
The problem with his rationale, however, is that Biden and congressional Democrats are going to get creative when it comes to fulfilling their objective of banning, and then trying to confiscate, certain classes of firearms.
As such, state lawmakers seeking to protect their citizens are going to have to get equally creative in order to push back.
And White’s bill certainly is creative.