CLEAR SOCIO-POLITICAL BOUNDARIES AND PATTERNS DEFINE FIREARMS LEGISLATION IN 2023 .
The FRONT LINE
THE STATE OF THE SECOND AMENDMENT
CLEAR SOCIO-POLITICAL BOUNDARIES AND PATTERNS DEFINE FIREARMS LEGISLATION IN 2023 .
Watching legislation throughout the entire nation makes it clear which states support the Second Amendment and which are out to crush individual freedom and hold lawabiding citizens responsible for the illegal action of others .
Stomping on the Second
States like New Mexico , Washington , Colorado , Connecticut , Michigan , Illinois , Virginia , Hawaii and New Hampshire have all had bills moving through their legislatures that push everything from mandatory waiting periods and duplicative background checks to requiring mandatory training or insurance for firearm owners and giving citizens the ability to sue manufacturers and distributors for the illegal use of firearms .
For instance , a Colorado bill would raise the age to purchase any firearm to 21 , limiting young adults who want to hunt , shoot recreationally and defend themselves . Washington state wants to create mandatory registration , training requirements and waiting periods — legislation modeled after Oregon Measure 114 .
However , New Mexico might be the most aggressive state of all . House Bill 101 proposed banning almost all semiautomatic firearms , including shotguns used for hunting , with no grandfather clause . Instead , owners would have to register them with the state , turn them over to a dealer or move them out of state . Failure to do so for any firearm meeting the definition would result in an owner becoming a felon overnight .
Supporting the Second
In contrast , states like Wyoming , Florida , Kansas , Montana , Idaho , Tennessee , Ohio , North Dakota and Oklahoma have expanded protections for firearms owners and the industry , including keeping credit card companies from tracking individuals with specific codes for those who purchase firearms and preemptively blocking lawsuits that violate or attempt to work around the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act ( PLCAA ).
The move to proactively strengthen PLCAA laws with state mandates protects firearms manufacturers from harassing lawsuits meant only to destroy the entire industry . Rightfully , PLCAA doesn ’ t shield manufacturers from liability due to defectiveness , but it ensures that they ’ re not held responsible for the already illegal use of their products by criminals . Unfounded lawsuits that do nothing to deter criminals or address crime in any way threaten not just our civil rights , but also hunting and wildlife management funding across the nation .
While bolstering protections for manufacturers safeguards the industry as a whole , legislation like that found in Arizona and Wyoming protects us individually . Preemption laws prohibit individual cities or counties from enacting laws stricter than state law , which only makes sense when considering the severity of punishments for firearm violations . Without preemption , uniformity of law gives way to a patchwork of laws with different definitions , exclusions and penalties for possession , storage , transport and more as you cross a city or county line , clearly putting a traveling hunter at risk of unfounded prosecution for unknowingly violating an ordinance .
PHOTOGRAPH ADOBE STOCK BY
12 SPORTSMENSALLIANCE . ORG