The Missouri House is thumbing its nose at President Obama. The Republican-controlled chamber passed a resolution Wednesday asking Congress to reject his recent executive order requiring tighter gun control measures.
The order, issued last month, contains more than 20 actions. They include requiring all businesses that sell guns to be licensed and requiring them to conduct background checks on buyers at gun shows and over the internet.
Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, strongly condemned the Democratic president's actions.
"If the president wants to exert kingship and pass edicts that are going to control those outside the executive branch by this edict that he's trying to force down our throats, we need to take second thought," Moon said during floor debate Wednesday.
Other Republican lawmakers weighed in on the same theme:
"What this bill addresses is executive orders by the president of the United States on a whim of 'this is what I want to do because I know I can't get it done another way'... that is not what our Constitution is about," said Shawn Rhoads, R-West Plains.
Democrats argued that Obama's executive order does not infringe on anyone's Second Amendment rights.
"This particular executive order has no impact on guns currently owned by owners, no impact whatsoever," said Judy Morgan, D-Kansas City. "It also has no impact on any law-abiding citizen who wishes to purchase a firearm or as many firearms as he or she wants to purchase."
Rep. Stacey Newman, D-Richmond Heights, an outspoken gun control advocate, also condemned the bill.
"What this resolution doesn't do is even address the gun violence here in our state," she said. "It doesn't take any attempts to close loopholes of obtaining unlimited weapons, unlimited ammunition, on the internet or by unlicensed dealers."
The resolution's sponsor, Jered Taylor, R-Nixa, made the following closing argument:
"In the U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 1, 'All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in the Congress of the United States, which shall consist of the Senate and the House of Representatives.' (This executive order) is not (within) the authority of the president of the United States, and the executive action that he took on guns just a few weeks ago (is) unconstitutional. We need to send a message to Congress and to the president and let them know that as Missourians we will fight for the Second Amendment and we will protect each individual right of Missouri citizens."
House Concurrent Resolution 63 passed 118-39 on a mostly party-line vote. Two Democrats sided with Republicans and voted "yes:" Courtney Curtis of Ferguson and Ben Harris of Hillsboro.
Two other Democrats, Brandon Ellington of Kansas City and Alan Green of Florissant, voted "present."
The resolution now heads to the Missouri Senate.
Follow Marshall Griffin on Twitter: @MarshallGReport
