JEFFERSON CITY — Unfortunately, a well-known pro-Second Amendment group recently created a great deal of alarm and confusion about legislation sponsored by Sen. Brian Nieves, R-Washington. This organization is releasing false information that claims an amendment was added to Senate Bill 613, also known as the Second Amendment Preservation Act, that is “anti-gun.”

“Trust me folks, there is NOTHING anti-gun about the bill or any amendment that was successfully added,” Sen. Nieves said. “They are confusing Senate Bill 556 with the amendment and have subsequently put out erroneous information.”

Senate Bill 613, as amended, does NOT contain any language or wording that requires anybody to report a lost firearm! This legislation, as amended, does NOT contain any language or wording that says you "reasonably should have known" if a firearm was lost or stolen! Senate Bill 613, as amended, does NOT subject anybody to a $1,000 fine! This measure, as amended, does NOT create a Class A misdemeanor! As amended, this legislation does NOT have any wording or provisions that would cause individuals to lose their Conceal Carry Weapons (CCW) permit for not reporting a lost or stolen gun!

“It is unfortunate that an organization that people know and trust would make such a HUGE error, but heck... we're all human! Anyway, the bill is in good shape, and I'm sure the group in question will retract its erroneous information campaign and make every attempt to clear up the confusion its created,” Sen. Nieves said.

The EXACT wording, of the amendment, that was placed on the bill, reads: "Upon becoming aware that a firearm has been stolen, a person shall have seventy-two hours to report such theft." That is the amendment nothing, more - nothing less.

“Make no mistake, I am not crazy about the amendment and am confident it will not be in the final version of the bill. I am simply interested in allowing the bill to advance so it can continue, as with any other bill, to be refined and ultimately sent to the governor’s desk,” Sen. Nieves said.

The Second Amendment Preservation Act is arguably the strongest piece of pro-Second Amendment legislation in the country and needs to proceed to a final vote, BUT, at least for now, this special interest group has it blocked from proceeding. Please call your Missouri senator and ask him or her to not fall for this erroneous information and proceed immediately with a final vote.

For more information about this or any of Sen. Nieves’ other legislation, please visit www.senate.mo.gov/Nieves.