Time to crank up the emails, messages, phones and faxes.
Missoula, MT –-(Ammoland.com)- Two important bills are up for Second Reading before the Montana House tomorrow (Friday, 2/21):
- HB 240 University system may not deny constitutional rights (campus carry)
- HB 358 Exempting CWP-holders from “prohibited places”
PLEASE get messages (email, legislative message form, phone, fax) to all the House members you can in support of these bills. Your message should be very short, something like, “Please support HBXXX. It is supported by the NRA and MSSA (and in the case of HB 240, for Republicans, is in the Party Platform).”
This is crunch time for these two bills.
MSSA’s bill to encourage the manufacture of smokeless powder, primers and cartridge brass (HB 468) had a hearing before the House Taxation Committee today. Mixed reviews. The most key person in this Committee may be Rep. Kelly Flynn (R-Townsend). It would be VERY helpful to get messages to the House Tax Committee members (especially Flynn) asking them to support HB 468.
I flubbed one. I didn’t get notified and missed that there were four of our gun bills up on the House floor for Second Reading today. Fortunately, they all passed. the bills and votes were:
- HB 205 – Suppressors 62/38
- HB 302 – Prohibit local enforcement of new fed gun control 55/44
- HB 304 – Permitless carry 60/40
- HB 446 – Fixing Disorderly Conduct (“firing firearms”) 61/38
Plus, I was able to pull a rabbit out of a hat today to get our “Safe travel to work” bill introduced, now HB 571. This bill clarifies that an employee’s property right in his or her vehicle prevents an employer from making it a termination offense for the employee to have a firearm locked in the employee’s vehicle in the employer’s parking lot. There will be a public hearing on HB 571, probably before the House Judiciary Committee, probably on next Monday. Stay tuned on this …
We are near the legislative “transmittal” date, February 29th, the date by which all House bills must be transmitted to the Senate, and Senate bills to the House. Any bills which don’t make “Transmittal” are lost. There is a later deadline for tax and revenue measures. So, we have a little time to try to resurrect our bill to exempt shooting ranges from property tax (HB 223), and to work the powder/primer manufacturing bill (HB 468).
PLEASE contact House members about HB 240 and HB 358, up for Second Reading tomorrow. Also, please contact House Tax Committee members about HB 468, the bill to encourage the manufacture of ammunition components in Montana.
Thanks loads,
Gary Marbut, President
Montana Shooting Sports Association
https://www.mtssa.org
Author, Gun Laws of Montana
www.mtpublish.com
About Montana Shooting Sports Association:MSSA is the primary political advocate for Montana gun owners. Visit: www.mtssa.org