JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden said Thursday threats directed at him and his family were in regard to the "Second Amendment Preservation Act," which seeks to invalidate federal gun laws but has remained stalled in the upper chamber.
"It's not the first time it's happened," the Columbia Republican said. "It's part of the job. So it is what it is. We'll be fine."
Rowden told the Post-Dispatch on Thursday that police were stationed outside his house, and that the people threatening him via email appeared to be in favor of the bill.
The Second Amendment bill has quickly become a point of contention in the last days of the legislative session, when conservative lawmakers are pushing to advance their priorities to Gov. Mike Parson's desk by 6 p.m. Friday.
It became a priority this year as Democrat Joe Biden was sworn in as president and Democrats took control of Congress. The bill allows people to sue local law enforcement for $50,000 if they infringe upon their rights.
Law enforcement officials have raised concerns about the bill, saying it could diminish their ability to coordinate with federal authorities.
On Twitter Wednesday, Rowden said, without mentioning the Second Amendment Preservation Act: "I am disappointed in the tone and demeanor of interactions, including threats against me and my family, related to bills of interest at the end of this #MOLeg session. Civility and respect must exist alongside passion for a principled/political cause. We can and must do better!"
Rowden, asked if the messages he received were death threats, said: "I don't know. Probably depends on how you read it. ... You don't want to make more of it than it needs to be."
The Senate paused debate on the Second Amendment Preservation Act on Thursday afternoon and came back to the bill at about 4:30 p.m., with debate continuing into the evening.
Rowden said "not really" when asked if the threats had affected his thought process on that bill.
"Constitutional rights are what they are regardless of who believes in them," Rowden said.
Meanwhile, Sen. Lauren Arthur, D-Kansas City, also said she had received angry messages from people pushing for the Second Amendment Preservation Act.
Arthur proposed an amendment to the bill Thursday designed to prevent domestic abusers from carrying firearms — with the effect of delaying a vote on the underlying bill.
"I think there's a lot of overheated political rhetoric used to scare people," Arthur said. "It causes people to react in irrational and exaggerated ways.
"Ultimately it makes an issue like passing the Second Amendment Preservation Act seem like a matter of life and death, and I think elevates the stakes, when in reality, this bill will likely be ruled unconstitutional," she said.
