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Senate committee amends and passes gun bills

Bob Beck

A Wyoming Senate Committee has watered down a bill that was intended to arrest federal officials if they enforced federal gun bans in Wyoming.  The House version of the bill would have allowed local law enforcement to arrest federal officials and charge them with a misdemeanor.  But several members of the Senate Judiciary Committee worried that the bill was unconstitutional.  Jackson Senator Leland Christensen successfully changed the bill to allow the enforcement by federal law enforcement officials, but keeps Wyoming law enforcement from helping.

“No state resources will be allocated by this amended law to enforce any of those new regulations, either directly or indirectly in support of federal enforcement. “ Question:  “But the feds would be able to enforce those things and we wouldn’t interfere with that?”  Answer:  “That’s true.”

Christensen says the bill would allow the Wyoming Attorney General to defend citizen gun rights.  Bill Sponsor Kendall Kroeker was disappointed and says the committee destroyed the intent of the bill.  It now heads to the Senate floor.  Meanwhile, The committee also passed a bill that says the legislature is in charge of regulating guns in the state, taking that power from local government. But the committee removed the University of Wyoming, Community Colleges and K through 12 schools from the bill. 

It also heads to the Senate floor.

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