The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear Missouri’s case that sought to declare the state a gun sanctuary that negates federal firearms restrictions.
The justices rejected the case without comment, one of dozens of cases the court refused on the first day of its new term.
Missouri passed the law in 2021, claiming power for itself to judge the constitutionality of federal laws under the 10th Amendment. It specifically said laws limiting the gun rights of “law-abiding citizens” were “invalid” in the state.
And it sought to block state or local officials from cooperating with federal agencies seeking to enforce those laws.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said federal law trumps the state.
“Missouri’s attempt to invalidate federal law is unconstitutional,” Judge Steven Colloton, a George W. Bush appointee, wrote for the court in a ruling last year.
He said Missouri may be able to refuse its own assistance, but it cannot unilaterally attempt to void a federal law.
“If the state prefers as a matter of policy to discontinue assistance with the enforcement of valid federal firearms laws, then it may do so by other means that are lawful, and assume political accountability for that decision,” he wrote.
The idea of Second Amendment sanctuaries grew during the Biden administration as GOP-led states sought to harness lessons from the immigration sanctuary movement and use them for conservative causes.
Gun Owners of America in 2023 said Wyoming and Idaho had similar, wide-ranging sanctuary policies that sought to protect state residents from federal laws.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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