A series of bills related to concealed carry and the Second Amendment made the Legislature’s deadline to cross over to the other chamber.
Two bills focus on concealed carry and were sponsored by Rep. Jeremy Haroldson (R-Wheatland).
HB 95 would allow individuals who are authorized to carry concealed weapons without a permit to carry at any public college or university. Concealed carry by a Wyoming-issued permit holder on the University of Wyoming campus is allowed after gun-free zones were repealed this summer. Haroldson said the bill was motivated by calls from students who have concealed carry permits from other states but want to carry on campus in Wyoming.
Haroldson is also the sponsor of HB 96, which seeks to lower the age a permit can be issued in Wyoming to carry a concealed firearm from 21 to 18.
A pair of similar bills focused on law enforcement were passed by the House and Senate, respectively, and have crossed over to the other chamber. The bills would add a civil penalty against state law enforcement agencies if they participate in federal enforcement that infringes on Second Amendment rights, like a hypothetical large-scale gun seizure.
The sponsor of HB 130, Rep. Robert Wharff (R-Evanston), said it won’t inhibit state law enforcement from working with federal agencies, which is a concern of the bill’s opponents.
“This doesn’t prevent them from assisting as long as it isn’t violating our Second Amendment rights,” said Wharff. “One thing is really clear: This requires our laws, Wyoming laws, to take precedence.”
Versions of this bill have been considered before, including SF 196, which was passed by both chambers last year but was ultimately vetoed by Gov. Mark Gordon. Supporters said that the bill would not inhibit Wyoming law enforcement agencies from receiving federal assistance in the form of money or personnel, and that no individual law enforcement officers would be sued.
Those opposed acknowledged the bill’s intent, but expressed concern about how it would impact hiring and the ability of law enforcement to work with federal agencies. Representatives with the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police (WASCOP) testified against the bill and shared that all 23 sheriffs in Wyoming are opposed to HB 130.
Albany County Sheriff Aaron Appelhans argued that the bill violates the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause, which establishes the precedence of federal law over state law. Appelhans also expressed concern about the bill introducing indecision into law enforcement’s decision making as to whether they are violating state law.
“In a lot of the investigations that we have, we don’t necessarily have the time to sit down and do a deep dive into, ‘Is this going to increase the liability of our agencies?’” said Appelhans. “A lot of things we have to deal with are tense, rapid, uncertain, and we have to take the totality of the circumstances in there. This bill adds into that and really muddies the water.”
Appelhans also testified that the bill would require local officials like himself to closely examine existing federal partnerships.
Rep. Haroldson expressed frustration in response at the fact that HB 130 had failed to become law multiple years in a row.
“What we’ve seen happen on the federal level, not recently but in the past, is terrifying to us as law-abiding citizens and gun owners, when you sit there and go, ‘Well, we could very well lose our most precious right as Americans, the right that defends all other rights,’” said Haroldson.
Another bill sponsored by Haroldson, HB 98, would make it a misdemeanor to enforce any “red flag” gun seizure order when an individual is barred from buying or owning a firearm. These seizures are already banned in Wyoming. In 2024, lawmakers passed the Prohibit Red Flag Gun Seizure Act. This year’s bill, currently working its way through the Senate, would add a penalty of up to a year imprisonment, a fine of up to $2,000 or both.
