Thursday, May 07, 2009

A Warning Shot

This is a double-edged news story.
Last month, April 16, the Governor of Montana signed legislation in effect defying federal firearms laws. Any weapons or ammunition that are manufactured in Montana and kept within the state are immune from federal regulation as there is no interstate commerce.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer has signed into law a bill that aims to exempt Montana-made guns from federal regulation, adding firepower to a battery of legislative efforts to assert states’ rights across the nation.

“It’s a gun bill, but it’s another way of demonstrating the sovereignty of the state of Montana,” Democrat Schweitzer said.

Since the law applies only to those guns that are made and kept in Montana, its impact is limited. The state is home to just a handful of specialty gun makers, known for recreating rifles used to settle the West, and most of their customers are out-of-state.

But supporters of the new law hope it triggers a court case testing the legal basis for federal rules governing gun sales.

“What we need here is for Montana to be able to handle Montana’s business and affairs,” bill sponsor Rep. Joel Boniek, a Republican and wilderness guide from Livingston, told fellow lawmakers during the bill’s House debate.

The measure is one of many introduced by state lawmakers across the nation seeking to confront what some see as a federal overreach into state matters that will be extended with the national stimulus plan.

Second, so far this news has been ignored by the major media.

Google the following: "Montana Gun Laws" or any derivative. You'll find that not a single major news source has any links to this story. Not one. The link above is from a newspaper based in Helena, the capital city of Montana. I guess they couldn't ignore it.

There is absolutely no chance that New York State will even consider much less pass a law like this. You have a better chance of Janet Reno starting a new career as a pole dancer.

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