Two Missouri Sheriffs Refuse to Enforce Gun Laws - Kansas City Week in Review

LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE, BECAUSE WE HAVE TWO MISSOURI SHERIFFS ANNOUNCE
 
THEY WILL NOT ENFORCE FEDERAL GUN CONTROL LAWS IN THEIR COUNTIES.
 
THE NEWLY ELECTED REPUBLICAN SHERIFF OF OSAGE COUNTY MICHAEL DIXON SAYS HE WILL REFUSE TO
 
ENFORCE ANY LAWS AIMED AT BLOCKING THE PURCHASE, POSSESSION AND USE OF FIREARMS.
 
JOINING HIM IS SHERIFF CHARL EYE HEISS, SAYING TO
 
DO SO WOULD BE TANTAMOUNT TO AN ALL-OUT SALT ON
 
THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION. CAN THEY DO THAT? OBVIOUSLY THERE IS A
 
SUPREMACY CLAUSE. FEDERAL LAWS TAKE PRECEDENT OVER STATE LAWS, BUT LAW ENFORCEMENT
 
OFFICIALS HAVE WIDE DESCRITION DESCRITION -- DISCRETION ACROSS A RANGE OF ISSUES IN TERMS OF
 
WHAT THEY DO OR DO NOT DO WHEN THEY ENFORCE THE LAWS, AND THIS MAY FALL INTO THAT, AS WELL.
 
ANY LEADER OF ANY ORGANIZATION CAN SAY MY ORGANIZATION IS GOING TO GO
 
HERE, NOT GOING TO SPEND MUCH TIME OVER THERE. IT'S THE SAME KIND OF THING
 
HERE, ABSOLUTELY. LET ME JUST SAY THAT THEY ARE ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND IN
 
MISSOURI, IF THEY FAIL TO DO THEIR JOB, THEY CAN BE IMPEACHED.
 
AS I WAS DOING A LITTLE BACKGROUND RESEARCH ON THIS, THERE WAS A SHERIFF BACK IN 1926
 
WHO REFUSED TO ENFORCE GAMBLING LAWS, AND HE WAS IMPEACHED. NOW, THAT PROCESS IS LONG AND
 
IT'S DIFFICULT AND WOULD IT HAPPEN? PROBABLY NOT, BUT THEY NOT ONLY
 
HAVE TO ANSWER TO THE VOTERS, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? THEY HAVE TO UPHOLD THEIR OATH,
 
WHICH IS TO UPHOLD THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
 
AND IF THEY FAIL TO DO THAT, THEY CAN BEEN IMPEACHED. THEY WON'T BE I IMPEACHED IN
 
RURAL MISSOURI OR RURAL KANSAS FOR NOT ENFORCING GUN LAWS. DAVE HELLING MENTIONED JIM
 
CORWIN, THE FORMER POLICE CHIEF IN KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI NOT ENFORCING A PANHANDLING
 
ORDINANCE, WHICH WAS DURING THE MARK FUNKHOUSER
 
ADMINISTRATION, BUT ALSO JIM CORWIN DIDN'T WANT
 
TO ENFORCE MANY OF THE IMMIGRATION RULES AT THAT TIME EITHER.
 
IS THIS THE SAME THING? NO, BECAUSE ONE THING, THAT'S PARTLY A BIT OF A
 
MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT HOW CORWIN OPERATED, AND FORTE HAS FOLLOWED SUIT WITH THE SAME
 
POLICIES. THEY WORK WITH IMMIGRATION EVERY SINGLE DAY, BUT THEIR OFFICES
 
ARE NOT GOING OUT AND PICKING PEOPLE UP OFF THE STREET BASED ON, OH, I HEAR YOU SPEAKING
 
SPANISH OR YOU LOOK A CERTAIN WAY, I THINK YOU
 
POSSIBLY MIGHT BE AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT, LET ME
 
SPEED CALL ICE. THEY DON'T DO THAT. THAT'S WHAT HE SAID HE WOULDN'T
 
DO, WHICH DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE FORCE DOES NOT ALSO WORK WITH IMMIGRATION QUITE JOINTLY.
 
THEY DO EVERY SINGLE DAY. SO SOME OF THAT WAS JUST A BIT OF A MISS -- MISUNDERSTANDING,
 
AND AGAIN, IT IS AN ISSUE OF EMPHASIS. THEY DON'T HAVE TIME TO BE GOING
 
AROUND AND PICKING OFF WHO IS AND WHO ISN'T AN IMMIGRANT. IT'S A RIDICULOUS POLICY FOR A
 
POLICE DEPARTMENT. AND SIMILARLY THEN, COULDN'T THESE SHERIFFS ALSO SAY THAT
 
ABOUT SOME OF THESE NEW GUN LAWS? THAT'S THE ARGUMENT THEY'LL
 
THAT, THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TIME TO ENFORCE THAT TYPE OF THING. QUICKLY, ONE OF THE THING FOR
 
VIEWERS TO THINK ABOUT, SHERIFFS ARE ELECTED. THAT'S WHY THEY MAKE THESE
 
STATEMENTS, NICK.