On June 12, the St. Louis zoo secured a restraining order barring Jeffery Smith from coming onto their property to open carry a firearm in protest of the facility’s “no weapons” policy.
Smith, an Ohio resident, claims the zoo is publicly owned, and therefore unable to bar him from openly carrying a firearm in the state of Missouri.
According to KCTV 5, Smith contacted the zoo on May 31 and asked that they take down their “no weapons” signs from entrances. He explained that the Open Carry law in Missouri is preemptive, which means no municipality may ban Open Carry where the state allows it.
Again, his argument hinges on his claim that the zoo is publicly owned.
Smith said he would be coming to the zoo to stage a “Firearm Rights Challenge” on June 13.
But the restraining order, sought by the zoo and secured Friday morning, indicates otherwise. It highlights the existence of a preschool run by the St. Louis Zoo and says the zoo’s gun ban is “consistent with the laws of the State of Missouri, St. Louis Zoo’s mission and the family-friendly environment it seeks to promote.”
Smith planned to arrive at the zoo at 1:30 pm.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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