Every Missouri resident between 18 and 34, unless prohibited by law, would be required to own an AR-15 under a new bill introduced in the state’s legislature.
House Bill 1108, also known as the McDaniel Militia Act, was introduced to the Missouri House of Representatives on Feb. 27 by Republican Rep. Andrew McDaniel, and would mandate AR-15 ownership for state residents within certain guidelines, KFVS 12 News recently reported.
According to the bill, state residents who are “18 years or older and under 35 years old, who is not prohibited by law or court order from possessing a firearm,” will have one year to acquire an AR-15 rifle, which is defined as “any semi-automatic rifle that is modeled on the AR-15 rifle design by AramLite, Inc.”
Under the bill, people could be eligible for a tax credit equal to 75 percent of the cost of the AR-15 they bought. https://t.co/1ppoZbZjnh
— WKYT (@WKYT) March 16, 2019
Qualified residents may be eligible for a tax credit equal to 75 percent of the cost of the AR-15 they purchase, if the bill is passed.
McDaniel said his bill was a challenge and ploy to Democrats’ mandates.
“The other side of the aisle loves mandates, so I’m trying to get them to make an argument against mandates,” he explained.
“I wanted the media and the other side to jump on it, to show that our Second Amendment rights are under attack,” McDaniel told Washington Post. “I don’t actually support mandates, hardly ever.”
Days earlier, McDaniel had also introduced House Bill 1052 – the McDaniel Second Amendment Act – which requires that residents ages 21 and older purchase a gun unless legally excluded.
This proposed bill also offers a tax credit to residents. A maximum of $1 million in tax credits would be offered to qualified residents and would be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Neither bill specifies any guidelines for enforcement, or specifies any penalties for those who decline to comply with the provisions, if they are passed by the state legislature.
Elected in 2014, McDaniel serves both Dunklin and Pemiscot counties. He formerly served as a deputy sheriff for Pemiscot County.
State census data from 2010 reports 1.5 million residents between the ages of 18 and 35, the age group targeted by the bill. The number is relatively smaller than the 4.5 million aged 21 years and older, the typical age group of gun owners, according to the Riverfront Times.
Although McDaniel said the bill was a ploy, he said he never goes without a gun for his own protection.
“Law enforcement’s not always going to be there,” he said. “I always have a gun on me, I’ll put it that way. It’s an attachment to my body.”
According to the Hill, the Missouri Department of Revenue can “promulgate rules to implement the provisions and the bills would sunset in six years if not extended by the state legislature.”
Neither House Bill 1108 or 1052 has a hearing set yet and neither are on the Missouri House calendar.
