Dear MSSA Friends,
Tomorrow (Thursday) is "Transmittal," the date by which all bills
must be passed from House to Senate or visa versa or they die, except
bills with appropriations, revenue or taxation features.
We had hoped to "blast" (a floor motion to override an adverse
committee report and forcibly extract a bill from committee) several
House bills stuck in committee. However, the Republican leadership
of the House laid down the law with Republicans to NOT do any blast
motions because of the crush of business facing the House before
Transmittal. So, our plans to try to move bills with a blast motion
didn't work for critical bills, including HB 369 (guns locked in
vehicles in employer's parking lot), HB 177 (monitor and educate
about wolf diseases), HB 278 (Home Guard) HB 435 (limit police
firearms seizure), and HB 355 (attorney fees paid for persons
exonerated for self defense).
There was an unexpected blast motion on HB 558 (prevent schools from
expelling students over guns locked in vehicles on school
property). See more about that below my signature.
There are also some bills that died early that we didn't attempt to
resurrect, including SB 150 (provide for protection of rights through
actions against public officials ), HB 148 (allow motorized access
to public lands for game retrieval) and HB 369 (require FWP game
wardens to comply with restraints on other law enforcement personnel).
One bill we supported but not an "MSSA bill" that died was HB 332
(restore the right of a fully informed jury ).
Because of our VERY aggressive legislative agenda, we expected to
have attrition among our bills with our resources spread so thin.
We do still have some very good bills remaining alive, including SB
114 (Sheriffs First), SB 136 (born in Montana hunt for the same cost
as a resident), SB 371 (encourage manufacture or powder, primers and
brass in Montana), HB 159 (restrict authority of FWP to regulate ammo
or firearms for hunting ), HB 174 (repeal archaic suppressor law), HB
271 (permitless carry inside cities), and HB 384 (correct prohibited places).
MSSA's wolf control bill will be introduced by Senator Balyeat
soon. It is not subject to Transmittal deadline because it has a
revenue feature in it.
There are some other good bills that passed with MSSA support but
which were not on the MSSA Legislative Agenda, including SB 279
(allow legislative security personnel w/permit to carry weapon into
Capitol - we will ask the House to amend this to include anyone with
a CWP), HB 321 (nullify federal endangered species act), and HB 448
(enact interstate compact for enforcement of firearms freedom laws).
Finally, MSSA successfully opposed SB 83 (FWP to bear cost of
removing road kill from highways - hey, it's public game on public
roads, let the public pay).
And, one bill escaped the House that we should have opposed and
killed that we will need to oppose in the Senate, HB 496 (allow
police to destroy certain firearms used in crimes). The argument for
HB 496 is that some weirdo should not be allowed to pay an exorbitant
price for Lee Harvey Oswald's rifle. Our response is that if a
person is murdered in a house, we don't destroy the house. If a
person commits vehicular homicide, we don't destroy the car. Leave
guns alone. Don't demonize guns.
Bottom line: We still have a bunch of great bills alive and will
need to gear up to support them next week, after the Legislature's
transmittal break. We'll also need to work on shooting range funding
in the state budget. I'll let you know when specific bills need support.
Thanks loads for your help so far.
Gary Marbut, president
Montana Shooting Sports Association
http://www.mtssa.orgauthor, Gun Laws of Montana
http://www.mtpublish.com========================
About the blast motion for HB 558, a motion made by sponsor Rep.
Jerry O'Neil notwithstanding the Republican leadership for no blast motions:
There is a legend told about how the breed of Arabian horses was
founded. Nomadic Arabian people were highly dependent on the
mobility of their horses to defend desert encampments from
marauders. When marauders were detected, an assigned individual
would blow the war trumpet. Upon hearing the trumpet, the horses
were trained to gallop to the sound of the trumpet so the riders
could mount and defend the camp.
In a plan to select the very best horses for a new breed of war
horses, a pit was dug in the desert to hold all of a tribe's war
horses. The horses were held in this pit for days without food or
water. After several days, the bank on one side of the pit was
broken down to allow the horses to escape. As the horses were
stampeding to the desert water hole for a life-saving drink, the war
trumpet was blown.
According to the legend, one stallion and two mares rallied to the
sound of the war trumpet. From those three responding horses, the
breed of Arabian horses was founded.
It is submitted that the 22 stalwart Representatives who rallied to
the blast motion on HB 558 may have something in common with the
original Arabian horses that responded to the war trumpet and founded
an entire breed of outstanding horses. They are self-selected as the
VERY BEST. I honor them.
Y Blasdel, Mark
Y Hale, Alan
Y Skattum, Dan
Y Skees, Derek
Y Miller, Mike
Y Smith, Cary
Y Hoven, Brian
Y More, Michael (Mike)
Y Ingraham, Pat
Y O'Neil, Jerry
Y Taylor, Janna
Y Cuffe, Mike
Y Kennedy, Dan
Y Wagner, Bob
Y Kerns, Krayton
Y Peterson, Ken
Y Warburton, Wendy
Y Edmunds, Champ
Y Knox, James
Y Randall, Lee
Y Lavin, Steve
Y Regier, Keith
Author
Topic: Fw: MSSA Halftime legislative report (Read 2796 times)