Bill hearings coming this week

Don’t forget the public hearing on MSSA’s bill to exempt nonprofit shooting ranges from property taxes, before the House Taxation Committee, at 9 AM on Wednesday, January 30th.

It is now time to get messages to the House Tax Committee asking members to please support HB 226.  If you’re involved with a local club that operates a shooting range and can come to Helena to speak in favor of HB 226, that will be great.  Please review:
http://progunleaders.org/Legislative%20Process/hearing.html

Remember, the goal is to allow nonprofit shooting range clubs to not pay property taxes because of a state law, rather than forcing them to go to the IRS seeking some 501(C) status to achieve this same result.  I still need letters from shooting range clubs supporting HB 226.

I expect introduction today (Monday) of another of MSSA’s bills, our bill to roll back local government authority to impose a patchwork of local gun control laws across Montana.  This is being done to rein in Missoula, which is trying to prohibit private firearm transfers without a gun-registering federal background check.  It is also being done because cities like Helena have abused the authority to prohibit guns in “parks” by identifying large parcels of open space where two-legged and four-legged predators roam as parks.

This history of abuse is just too much.  It’s time for the Legislature to withdraw the legislative-granted authority that local governments seem determined to abuse.

We hope this bill, once introduced, will be assigned a public hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on Friday, February 1st, which is also Capitol Day and Freedom Day at the Montana Legislature.  This should be a great excuse for you to come to Helena.

I’ll get another alert out as soon as this bill is introduced, gets a bill number, and it is confirmed as scheduled for a public hearing on 2/1.

We’re still waiting for introduction of the Montana School Safety Act, to allow armed school staff.  More about that ASAP.

Best wishes,