After the White House and Congress are controlled by the Democrats, some lawmakers in Republican states are worried about new federal gun control laws, so they act first to resist.
At least a dozen Republican-controlled states have passed legislation that would nullify any new federal regulation, including limiting the number of bullets or banning certain types of firearms; Missouri has even passed a bill that would make it a crime for local police to enforce federal firearms laws.
This practice confuses local law enforcement units that often operate with federal law enforcement, and Missouri is also preparing to pass a bill that would fine police officers and officials who enforce federal firearms laws $50,000.
Utah Republican State Representative Cory Maloy (R) introduced a similar bill earlier and it passed; he said the purpose of the bill was to stop the incoming Democratic state government from enforcing federal gun laws. Like many state legislators of the same party, he stressed that federal gun control laws violate the Second Amendment to the Constitution.
To date, more than a dozen Republican states have introduced federal gun control nullification bills, including Alabama, Arkansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wyoming, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Iowa.
In addition, the governor of Texas wants the state to become a Second Amendment sanctuary. Arizona also sees it as a violation of the Second Amendment, and the state Senate passed a proposal that would allow lawsuits to be filed against officials who enforce federal gun control laws.
The Montana Legislature passed a similar bill under Republican control in 2009, but the Democratic governor vetoed it, and now the Republicans have full control of the Legislature and governor, passing a bill last week that would prohibit state officials from enforcing federal gun control laws. In addition to Republicans, some conservative Democrats also oppose the introduction of new federal gun control laws.
Jacob Charles, a professor at Duke University, explained that the Constitution provides that federal laws can supersede state laws, but these state bills focus on what local police can and cannot do, and do not address federal laws; in addition, states are not obligated to enforce federal laws, making it impossible to implement federal gun control laws in these Republican states.
Republican lawmakers are concerned about the federal government passing new gun control laws, so they are taking action to resist. The photo shows guns on display at a gun store in Washington State.
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