KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City, Missouri, City Council passed two gun-related ordinances Thursday afternoon.
The first, Ordinance No. 230642, mirrors federal restrictions on the possession, manufacture, transport, repair or sale of “machine guns, firearm silencers and short-barreled rifles and shotguns."
The statute defines a machine gun as “any firearm that is capable of firing more than one shot automatically, without manually reloading, by a single function of the trigger, regardless of whether the firearm was originally manufactured as a machine gun or was modified.”
The new law also bans switches, bump stocks, auto sears, trigger crank and other manufactured or homemade components that are commonly used to convert weapons from semi-automatic to automatic.
Ordinance No. 230643 makes it illegal to sell, loan or give a gun or ammunition to a minor without parental consent.
Both ordinances passed 12-1 with Nathan Willett casting the lone “no” vote.
Willett objected in part on the grounds that the ordinances would likely end up in court, expressing concern that a legal battle could be costly for the city.
Missouri state law largely prohibits local jurisdictions from enacting laws that are more restrictive than state law.
Mayor Quinton Lucas addressed Willett’s concerns before the vote was taken and noted that the city’s legal department had examined the ordinances before they were put forth.
“We believe in the legality of our laws, we believe a whole heck of a lot of study in connection with them and we believe these are best practices in keeping not just our community safe, but something communities around the country should use,” Lucas said. “So, we will evaluate any challenge that comes our way. We will always be responsible with taxpayers dollars, but we will also make sure we are saving lives in our city. If these ordinances can get a machine gun off the street, if these ordinances can get guns or bullets out of the hands of young people, we’re doing what we need to do.”
The Missouri state legislature passed a law in May 2021 that barred law enforcement agencies in the state from working with federal law enforcement on gun-related crimes.
A federal judge struck down the Missouri Second Amendment Preservation Act, or SAPA, in March 2023, citing the federal supremacy clause.
Jackson County joined a lawsuit challenging the SAPA in state court as well.
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