KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Authorities report that one woman was killed and at least 20 others were hurt in a shooting that followed the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade and appears to have stemmed from a dispute.
Shots rang out at the end of the celebration near the city’s historic Union Station. Three people are now in custody with alleged ties to the gunfire.
The shooting prompted various discussions on X (formerly Twitter) about gun legislation in Missouri, including the state’s Second Amendment Preservation Act. Online conversations also addressed Gov. Mike Parson’s role in approving the act and his response while attending the Super Bowl parade in Kansas City.
What is the Second Amendment Preservation Act?
Gov. Parson signed the Second Amendment Preservation Act into law in 2021, prohibiting local law enforcement agencies from enforcing federal gun laws.
As currently written, the law bans state and local cooperation with federal officials in attempts to enforce federal rules. Missouri law enforcement agencies with officers who knowingly enforce any federal laws could be sued and fined up to $50,000 per violating officer.
When signed, Parson expressed that the bill was important to prevent federal overreach and acknowledge the rights of Missourians to bear arms.
Last October, the U.S. Supreme Court turned down a request from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office to revive a law that bans federal connections to state gun laws, as Missouri has had for the last several years.
SAPA and investigating the shooting
A state gun law to nullify federal rules, like Missouri’s Second Amendment Preservation Act, could come with several ramifications.
In a 2022 report from FOX 2’s Missouri Capitol Bureau Reporter Emily Manley, law enforcement officials and advocates noted that SAPA has led to confusion as to how police should prepare to protect Missourians and to many agencies cutting ties with federal task forces. Opponents claimed that SAPA’s language is vague and, in some cases, may not fully protect Missouri’s Second Amendment rights to bear arms.
A situation like Wednesday’s shooting brings renewed attention to these concerns, particularly with more than 800 officers on patrol for the celebration. The ability to handle evidence or proceed with legal framework might also look different without federal enforcement.
Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves noted later Wednesday that police detained three suspects and seized an undisclosed number of guns. In the preliminary stages of the shooting investigation, police have not yet revealed how the guns were acquired or any potential enforcement efforts within Missouri.
NYT on Missouri’s gun laws
Gov. Parson, a Republican state official and former sheriff, along with his wife Teresa, attended the Chiefs parade and rally on Wednesday. He shared the following statement on X about an hour after the shooting.
“Governor & First Lady Parson were in attendance when shots were fired near Union Station in KC. They are safe and secure. State law enforcement personnel are assisting local authorities in response efforts. As we wait to learn more, our hearts go out to the victims. …
Governor & First Lady Parson want to thank the Missouri Highway Patrol, KCPD, and their security officers for their quick and professional actions.”
A New York Times op-ed discussed the governor’s response Thursday and suggested the shooting should serve as an eye-opening experience. “After escaping a horrific shooting, does he still support the “Second Amendment Preservation Act,” a bill he signed into law in 2021 that would penalize police officers in Missouri if they tried to enforce federal regulations on the sale and ownership of firearms? The law was such an obvious violation of federal sovereignty that a federal judge struck it down last year as unconstitutional, and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to revive it.”
The op-ed also questions if Parson would consider changes to state laws that don’t require state licensing or limit the open carry of weapons.
Parson is serving his final full year as Missouri governor and plans to retire from office in 2025 as his gubernatorial term expires.
