Missouri Republican state Representative Andrew McDaniel wants to force every 18–35 year old in his state to own an AR-15 and a handgun. At least, that’s what two bills, quietly filed by McDaniel in the Missouri legislature late last month, would have you believe. The truth, however, is that McDaniel is a cynical dickhead using these mandatory requirements as a scam for media attention.
The proposed laws, as written, are:
HB 1108: The McDaniel Militia Act, which requires every person between 18 and 35 years of age who can legally possess a firearm to own an AR-15 and authorizes a tax credit for a purchase of an AR-15.
HB 1052: the McDaniel Second Amendment Act, which requires every person 21 years of age or older who can legally possess a firearm to own a handgun and authorizes a tax credit for a purchase of a handgun.
An entire state full of adults required by law to own mass-shooters’ weapon of choice sounds crazy, right? But when I reached out to McDaniel, a former deputy sheriff in rural Pemiscot County, MO, to ask about his proposed legislation, he explained that, actually, he’s just using the insane-sounding legislation to get attention for a much more mundane goal, albeit one that’s equally gross which would get any GOP state legislator puppy at least one pat on the head from their local NRA lobbyist.
“I merely planned for media to write about it but would ultimately amend it to take out the mandates and requirements (age and type of gun) and turn it into a gun tax credit bill,” McDaniel told Splinter in an email.
Essentially, McDaniel just wanted the press to give his insane-sounding legislation a signal boost so his slightly less insane proposal—the tax credits—gets some free press. Missouri, by the way, boasts the seventh-highest rate of gun violence in the country, which costs residents an estimated $1.9 billion dollars each year. Nevertheless, McDaniel has decided his time as an elected official is best spent trolling the people in his state.
It’s not very often that a politician makes it so clear just how full of shit they are. On the other hand, though, this shows just how seriously this guy takes his job: not at all.
Meanwhile, laws requiring citizens to pack heat aren’t an entirely new phenomenon. Kennesaw, GA, requires “every head of household residing in the city limits [...] to maintain a firearm,” while a similar ordinance was passed in the small Utah town of Virgin in 2000. Great country we have here.