FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Senate Leaders Applaud the Missouri Supreme Court’s Swift Decision on Constitutional Amendment 5
JEFFERSON CITY— Senate Leaders are applauding the Missouri Supreme Court’s ruling, calling it reassuring. The Court had been asked to consider whether the title and ballot summary for Constitutional Amendment 5 contained enough information for voters to make an informed decision. Today, the Court dismissed the case.
Senate Leader Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles, said if passed by voters, Constitutional Amendment 5 would safeguard a citizen’s individual Second Amendment right and require the courts to use the highest level of scrutiny to uphold any restriction on these rights.
“Through every step of this process, our summary language proved to be fair,” said Dempsey. “As a Legislature, we value Second Amendment rights, and we want to protect those rights from any future infringements. We carefully crafted the language to give voters the final say in how they want to protect their families.”
Part of the discussion before the Court involved the meaning of the word “unalienable.” The measure’s sponsor, Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, said if an individual right is unalienable, it gets the highest level of scrutiny from the court system.
“It is clear our Founding Fathers held the right to keep and bear arms in the highest regard, and Amendment 5 will further protect that right of Missourians,” said Schaefer. “If we allow the erosion of even one constitutional principle because it is the topic of the day, or due to political pressure, then we acknowledge that every one of those rights is vulnerable. I was honored to sponsor this amendment in the Legislature and to personally defend it in front our state’s highest court. I strongly feel the Supreme Court made the proper decision today.”
Majority Floor Leader Ron Richard, R-Joplin, who is also a co-sponsor of the measure, said this will ensure every Missouri citizen’s right to defend what was guaranteed to them by the writers of the Constitution.
“I have always been an unwavering advocate of our Second Amendment rights,” said Richard. “This measure ensures that Missourians have the right to bear arms, and the state will do everything in its power to protect that right. I would also like to thank Sen. Schaefer for representing the Senate’s position on the summary language in front of the Supreme Court.”
Voters will see this amendment on the ballot on the Aug. 5, 2014 election. For more information on this measure and others visit www.senate.mo.gov.
Lauren Hieger , Senate Majority Caucus Communications Director
(573) 751-7266 – lauren.hieger@senate.mo.gov
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