Missouri Rep. Shoots Gun Control Bill in Protest
In opposition to a newly proposed bill which would ban assault weapons and large capacity magazines in the state of Missouri, state Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Springfield) recently posted on YouTube a video which shows him, along with local gun range customers, using a copy of the bill as target practice.
In the video, uploaded to YouTube on Monday and titled "2nd Amendment Puts Holes in HB 545," Burlison interviews a local gun shop customer and worker to ask for their opinion on the bill, which was proposed by Rep. Rory Ellinger (D-University City) and makes it a "class C felony to manufacture, import, possess, purchase, sell, or transfer any assault weapon or large capacity magazine."
"It is confusing," one unidentified woman in the video exclaims.
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"It is too much red tape. They will make my grandpa turn in his guns and it's crazy. A felon – it's nuts," she adds.
The video concludes with another unidentified interviewee telling Burlison that he believes "it's a great bill, it's great target practice," after which he holds up a copy of the bill, covered in bullet holes.
Burlison himself also tries a round at shooting the bill, concluding the video by saying, "You're right, it does make for a good bill," holding up the hole-covered piece of paper.
According to The Riverfront Times, which first reported on Burlison's video on Tuesday, one of the most controversial components of HB 545 is that it orders any citizen who was in legal possession of an assault rifle to turn in their weapon or remove it from the state within 90 days of the law being passed.
The bill defines an assault rifle as a semi-automatic pistol or rifle with a magazine capacity of over 10 rounds of ammunition.
Several pro-gun legislators in Missouri have expressed outrage at the proposed bill, with Rep. Mike Leara (R-St. Louis) proposing a bill Monday which would make it a class D felony for state legislators to propose gun control legislation.
