Time to saddle up!

Bymssa

Feb 11, 2017

Dear MSSA Friends,

It’s time to ramp up your support of MSSA’s political effort on your behalf.  We will have three bills up for their first committee public hearing in Helena this coming week, one on Tuesday and two on Wednesday.

At a bare bones minimum I need you to send electronic or phone messages to every member of the correct committee for each bill.  At a maximum I need you to come to Helena and stand up in front of the committee in the public hearing and tell committee members that you support the bill, and why.

If you can travel to the Capitol (yes, I know it’s a pain – time, money, effort, weather), here’s the guidance you need about speaking before a committee:
http://progunleaders.org/Legislative%20Process/hearing.html

If you simply cannot attend, here is information about the process, and about how you can send messages to legislators.
http://progunleaders.org/Legislative%20Process/

You can send a message to all members of a committee via the legislative Website – just one click to send after having filled out the information.  KEEP YOUR MESSAGE SHORT!  Legislators are incredibly challenged for time and unlikely to read your message if its more than about two sentences.  A sample message might be:  “Please support SB 99.  It’s perfectly legal and consistent with Montana culture.”

BILLS UP FOR HEARING:

On Tuesday, HB 385, the School Safety Act, sponsored by Rep. Seth Berglee (R-Joliet), will have its public hearing before the House Judiciary Committee.  HJC meets at 8 AM in Capitol Room 137.  HB 385 will allow full-time school staff to exercise a Montana CWP at school IF the firearm is always concealed and IF the CWP-holder always has his or her firearm secured.

On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will have public hearings on two bills, Senate Bill 99 (SB 11) and Senate Joint Resolution (SJR 11).  SJC meets at 9 AM in Capitol Room 303.

SB 99, No Enforcement of New Federal Gun Laws, is sponsored by Sen. Cary Smith and will prohibit state and local government employees (police) from enforcing any new federal gun control done by law or regulation after 1/1/17. The US Supreme Court held in Printz v. US that Congress could not commandeer the resources of states to administer federal programs.  So, SB 99 is just implementation of that decision and principle.

SJR 11 is sponsored by Sen. Keith Regier and will establish an authoritative definition for the critical phrase that secures our RKBA in the Montana Constitution, “shall not be called in question.”

If you want to know more about what SJR 11 does, I’ve written a careful explanation at:
http://progunleaders.org/Question/

Please get and stay involved in these bills.  They are done for you, your children, and your grandchildren.

Thanks for your support!

Best wishes,

--   Gary Marbut, President 
Montana Shooting Sports Association https://www.mtssa.org 
Author, Gun Laws of Montana  http://www.mtpublish.com

By mssa