Andrew Bailey
JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has taken a two-pronged legal approach to defend what he calls “sacred” Second Amendment rights, announcing his office has both launched an investigation into tech giants Google and Meta over alleged censorship of firearm-related content and filed a lawsuit against Jackson County for what he claims are unconstitutional firearm restrictions targeting young adults.
The actions come as part of what Bailey characterized as an effort to hold both corporate and governmental entities accountable for infringing on constitutionally protected rights.
“When Big Tech companies hold the power to control what Americans see, say, and believe, they hold the power to reshape the nation,” Bailey said in a statement. “We will not allow Silicon Valley to rewrite the Bill of Rights from behind a firewall.”
In the first action, Bailey issued a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) to Google, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram under the authority of Section 407.040 of the Missouri Revised Statutes.
The CID compels the production of internal documents and communications to determine whether these platforms have engaged in unlawful business practices by allegedly suppressing lawful speech and commerce related to firearms, ammunition and associated content.
Bailey’s office is particularly interested in whether the companies used deceptive or unfair practices such as demonetizing, delisting or downranking such content.
The investigation stems from what the Attorney General's Office called “troubling allegations” that the platforms have obscured or penalized posts related to firearms, hunting, personal protection and related political speech.
The demand letter accuses the companies of potentially violating Missouri’s consumer protection laws by misleading users about the availability and visibility of lawful content on their platforms.
“The right to ‘keep and bear arms’ is one of the most sacred and cherished rights guaranteed to the citizens of the State of Missouri under the Constitution of the United States,” the CID states.
The document further argues that suppressing information about modern firearms may allow governments to monopolize the use of force, ultimately leading to the erosion of individual liberty.
“The right to keep and bear arms is the cornerstone of every other constitutional freedom,” Bailey said. “If tech giants are colluding to silence lawful expression about firearms or shut down commerce protected under the Second Amendment, Missourians deserve to know.”
Bailey also filed suit against Jackson County over Ordinance No. 5865, which restricts firearm rights for adults aged 18 to 20.
Filed in coordination with Gun Owners of America Inc., the lawsuit challenges the ordinance’s ban on the purchase and possession of handguns and so-called “semiautomatic assault rifles,” a term the lawsuit criticizes as vague and legally undefined.
Bailey argues the ordinance is in direct violation of Missouri law, which preempts local governments from regulating firearms. Under § 21.750 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri, the state reserves exclusive legislative authority in this area — a position even acknowledged by Jackson County’s legal counsel, according to the Attorney General's Office.
The ordinance, which was passed over the veto of the Jackson County Executive, is seen by Bailey as an act of “lawfare” driven by political agendas.
Bailey cited the case of Leonard Wilson Jr., an 18-year-old member of Gun Owners of America who, under the ordinance, is unable to legally complete a private handgun purchase or transport a lawfully acquired AR-15 within Jackson County without facing legal repercussions.
“Jackson County leaders don’t get to nullify the Constitution just because they disagree with it,” Bailey said. “We’re standing up for the rule of law and the rights of every citizen.”
