Jackson County executive opposes legislator's ordinance on gun access

Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr. warned the county's legislature about issues a proposed gun ordinance could cause for the county.

White cautioned the legislature about the ordinance, proposed by legislator Manny Abarca, in a letter on Monday .

Abarca's ordinance, introduced last week, would restrict gun access for people 21 and under.

"The prevalence of gun violence in our community is staggering and I am deeply committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our residents," White said in the letter. "However, we must approach this challenge with integrity and respect for the rule of law. This proposed legislation goes against those fundamental principles."

White said the county's counselor reviewed the ordinance and issued an opinion, finding it would be unenforceable and open the door for lawsuits.

"This proposed ordinance puts the county in an unnecessary legal battle that will burden the taxpayers with the costs of a legal defense that we will lose and the legal expenses and damages of the plaintiff," White said.

KSHB 41's JuYeon Kim spoke with Abarca last week where he acknowledged he could receive push back, but said he wanted to see how the legal process plays out.

“We do have the ability. Whether or not the state will challenge us or not on the allowance of these things to go into place will come up," Abarca said. "And so, it is an opportunity for the Attorney General to say to Missouri to challenge us on these laws, but again, what does that say about his focus and priority — is it about keeping people safe? Or is it about protecting guns? The reality of whether or not this is legal, I’ll leave that up to our court system to figure out."

KSHB 41 reached out to Abarca for comment on White's concerns. This story will be updated if a response is received.

During the legislature's meeting on Monday, no action was taken on the ordinance.

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