Unless a handful of wavering Democrats change their minds, the Republican-controlled Missouri legislature is expected to enact a statute next month ifying all federal gun laws in the state and making it a crime for federal agents to enforce them here, reports the New York Times. The law amounts to the most far-reaching states' rights endeavor in the country, the far edge of a growing movement known as “ification” in which a state defies federal power.
The measure was vetoed last month by Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, as unconstitutional. But when the legislature gathers again on Sept. 11, it will seek to override his veto, even though most experts say the courts will strike down the measure. Federal authorities are concerned, and the NRA has been silent. Historically used by civil rights opponents, ification has bloomed in recent years around a host of other issues, broadly including medical marijuana by liberals and the new health care law by conservatives.