Gov. Jay Nixon has vetoed legislation that would have made it a crime for federal agents to try to enforce gun control laws.
Nixon announced the veto Friday. He noted that the U.S. Constitution generally gives federal laws supremacy over conflicting state laws.
The bill would have made it a misdemeanor crime for federal agents to attempt to enforce any federal gun regulations that “infringe on the people’s right to keep and bear arms.” It also sought to invalidate some specific federal laws, including a 1934 law that imposed a tax on transferring machine guns or silencers.
The measure also would have made it a misdemeanor to publish the names of gun owners. Nixon said that would have violated federal free speech rights. The Missouri Press Association said publication about a stolen gun would have triggered a misdemeanor. It had urged the governor to veto the measure.
“Under this bill, newspaper editors around the state that annually publish photos of proud young Missourians who harvest their first turkey or deer could be charged with a crime,” Nixon said in a statement explaining the veto.
Nixon did sign another bill that allows a state employee to keep a firearm in his or her vehicle while on property owned or leased by the state and allows a fire chief to carry a concealed firearm.