Two more of MSSA’s bills have been introduced and public hearings on these bills have been scheduled.
SB 295 is MSSA’s bill to end the prohibition on use of firearm sound suppressors for hunting. It has been assigned to the Senate Fish and Game Committee, and the public hearing on this bill will be next Tuesday, 2/17, at 3 PM, in Capitol room 422. If we can get this bill passed and signed by the governor (likely this session), this will eliminate the last state restriction on suppressors, except for the separate crime of committing a crime with one (go figure).
HB 457 is MSSA’s constitutional referendum to revise the RKBA in the Montana Constitution at Article II, Section 12, by removing the archaic language, "but nothing herein contained shall be held to permit the carrying of concealed weapons." This language is a relic of the Montana Territorial Constitution of 1884. It is no longer consistent with Montana culture and needs to be removed from the Constitution. A constitutional referendum is one way to get a constitutional change before the voters of Montana (the other is a constitutional initiative – by gathering a LOT of signatures). To get this on the ballot will require the favorable votes of 100 of the Legislature’s 150 members. This will be a heavy lift, although MSSA has done it before with the right to hunt amendment. Then, if we can get 100 votes out of the Legislature, this will go to the ballot and 50+% of the people voting must approve the measure at the election to actually amend the Constitution. The public hearing on HB 457 will be at 8AM next Wednesday, 2/18, in Capitol Room 137.
If you can come to Helena to support these bills, that will be outstanding. If so, please review my advice for testifying to a committee at:
http://progunleaders.org/Legislative%20Process/hearing.html
If you can’t get to Helena to support these bills, please contact Senate Fish and Game committee members or members of the House Judiciary Committee via the Message Center, 444-4800, or the Online Message Form at:
http://leg.mt.gov/css/About-the-Legislature/Lawmaking-Process/contact-legislators.asp#email
Ask Committee members to please support these bills. You can send a message about one bill to ALL Committee members with one click.
Thanks loads for your ongoing help. YOUR PARTICIPATION IS CRITICAL!
Best wishes,
Gary Marbut, President
Montana Shooting Sports Association
https://www.mtssa.org
Author, Gun Laws of Montana
http://www.MTPublish.com