September 13, 2013
Missouri Senate narrowly blocks controversial veto
The Missouri Senate fell one vote short of overriding Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of a bill that would have made it a crime to print the name of a person who owned a gun.
The bill also would have made it a crime for Missouri law enforcement officials to enforce federal gun laws thought to violate the Second Amendment.
Two top Republican leaders of the Missouri Senate joined with Democrats to block the bill after the House had voted to override Nixon’s veto.
The press portion of the bill was written so broadly that it literally would have made it a crime to print Gov. Nixon’s name.
In other words, it would not only have been a crime to say Nixon was a gun owner, but it also would have been a crime to print Nixon’s name in any context because no gun owner’s name could be published.
The Missouri Press Association had threatened to go to court to seek to enjoin the law if it had been enacted.
One side benefit for Nixon, who is interested in a presidential run in 2016, was that he got some favorable ink in The New York Times. Before now, Nixon hasn’t attracted much national attention.
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