Mo. Rev. Stat. § 41.500: State defense force — called to duty, when.

The governor may call out the Missouri state defense force, or any part of the same, to execute the laws, to suppress insurrections, repel invasion, and suppress lawlessness and provide emergency relief to distressed areas in the event of earthquake, flood, tornado, or other actual or threatened public catastrophe creating conditions of distress or hazard to public health and safety beyond the capacities of local or other established agencies, under the same circumstances and in the same manner as is in this chapter provided for the use of the National Guard, the Air National Guard and the organized militia in such emergencies, and when so placed on duty, the Missouri state defense force shall have the same status, power and authority conferred upon the National Guard, the Air National Guard and the organized militia by this chapter.