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Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican running for U.S. Senate, on Wednesday linked a suspension of the “Safer Streets Initiative� to a lawsuit the Department of Justice filed Wednesday in federal court targeting Missouri’s controversial Second Amendment Preservation Act.

Schmitt said Wednesday President Joe Biden’s administration was using the lawsuit “as a pretext for them to pull the plug on our successful and innovative federal-state crime fighting partnership.�

Sayler Fleming, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, did not say in a statement Thursday that activities had been suspended, though she noted the new state law, which declares certain federal firearms actions “invalid,� was “causing significant confusion.�

“Partnerships (with state and local authorities) are imperative to combatting the violent crime prevalent in the Eastern District of Missouri,� she said in a statement.

Fleming said the Second Amendment Preservation Act “hampers law enforcement’s ability� to pool “our manpower, intelligence and resources when possible.�

She said the law impairs “the efficiency and efficacy these successful partnerships once enjoyed. I sincerely hope that at the end of the day we will all be able to go back to business as usual.�

In the Western District of Missouri, the U.S. attorney clearly said the federal-state partnership was still in place, according to a statement, reported.

, interim United States attorney for the Western District of Missouri, said it was “inaccurate� to say “that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has withdrawn from the Safer Streets Initiative.�

“Three assistant attorneys general from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office are currently cross-designated to prosecute federal crimes in the Western District of Missouri,� she said in a statement.

“Because we were told that the litigation by the Biden DOJ created a conflict that necessitated the suspension of the initiative, we’re surprised and pleased that we’re able to continue the initiative in the Western District, and we welcome that continued partnership,� Chris Nuelle, spokesman for Schmitt’s office, said on Thursday.

He said the state’s special assistant U.S. attorneys in St. Louis “were verbally informed on Friday that their engagement with the Safer Streets Initiative has been suspended due to a conflict with the litigation.�

Nuelle said “written confirmation of that suspension was sent on Monday and received by our office on Wednesday.�

He provided a copy of a letter dated Monday and addressed to Greg Goodwin, an assistant attorney general in Schmitt’s office who was deputized special assistant U.S. attorney.

“It’s apparently a conflict in one district but not the other,� Nuelle said. “This is complete incompetence from the Biden administration.�

The Second Amendment Preservation Act, which went into effect in August, targets federal gun regulations that don’t have an equivalent in Missouri law, including statutes covering weapons registration and tracking, and possession of firearms by some domestic violence offenders.

Local departments are barred from enforcing them, or risk being sued for $50,000 by private citizens who believe their Second Amendment rights have been violated.

The Department of Justice, since an initial challenge to the law by St. Louis, St. Louis County and Jackson County over the summer, has maintained that the law is damaging to law enforcement relationships.

The jurisdictions argued against the law last week before the Missouri Supreme Court. The Department of Justice reiterated its opposition to the law in a brief filed with the court.

Justice Department lawyers said the law “poses a clear and substantial threat to public safety.�

“Since taking effect, the law has already seriously impaired the federal government’s ability to combat violent crime in Missouri,� the brief said. “Owing directly to H.B. 85, dozens of state and local agencies (including the Missouri State Highway Patrol) felt compelled to withdraw from established partnerships with federal law enforcement.

“Many state and local officials are no longer sharing information with their federal counterparts or contributing to federally administered databases,� the brief said, “and the state crime lab is no longer processing evidence in aid of investigation of federal firearms offenses.�

Nuelle said “it’s curious that the law has stood for 8 months, and the Biden DOJ is just now filing a lawsuit.�

Robert Patrick of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.