MT: Governor Bullock Vetos Constitutional Carry

Governor Bullock (D) of Montana vetoed constitutional carry, HB 298.   It seems that he did so on Friday the 27th of March.  He did not give a good reason for the veto; he simply applied the "we require a permit for everything else" excuse.  Perhaps we need to rethink this excessive requirement for permission from the state before we engage in our daily lives.  Five states have constitutional carry, and there is no evidence that it causes any problems.  Governor Bullock recommended that the gun muffler reform in HB 250 be improved to include all legal hunting.  It is unknown if there will be time for the legislature to amend the bill, pass the bill again, and return it to the Governor.   From greatfallstribune.com:

Bullock also vetoed House Bill 298, sponsored by Rep. Bill Harris, R-Winnett, which he said would eliminate Montana's concealed weapons permit process and is an "absurd concept that threatens the safety of our communities by not providing for the basic fundamentals of gun safety or mental health screening."

Governor Bullock is, at a minimum, mistaken.  HB 298 would not have eliminated Montana's concealed weapons permit process.  It would only have removed legal restrictions from carrying concealed without a permit.  The permit system itself would not have been changed.  It should be noted that if we agreed with the Governor's assumptions about the nature of reality, then no one would be allowed to own a firearm without Government permission.   It is hard to believe that Governor Bullock does not know that his "absurd concept" is the law in over 98 percent of Montana, and has been for some time. 

It is unlikely that there will be any attempt to override the veto.  HB 298 passed with strong margins, but far from veto proof ones.  The bill passed the Senate 28 to 21.  It passed the House 56 to 43.   

Governor Bullock won a squeaker of an election in 2012 with 48.9 percent of the vote, while the Republican candidate received 47.3%.  The Libertarian candidate got 1.75% of the vote, more than twice the difference between the two major candidates of 7,571 votes. 

Governors are a target in gutting popular gun reforms because they are a focal point where media pressure and billionaire money can be brought to bear.   It may be that a similar phenomena occurs when local officials go to federal office.  Suddenly, the focus of the old media is on them, and all the power of the progressive establishment it used to convert or defeat them.

If you must ask the government for a permission, it is no longer a right.  Governor Bullock joins Governor Tomblin (D) of West Virginia, who also vetoed a constitutional carry bill this year.

One Democrat Governor, Governor Beebe of Arkansas, has signed a constitutional carry bill that restored carry rights to what they were when the Bill of Rights was ratified.  But there is good evidence that he did so by accident.  Some Republicans have vetoed constitutional carry bills, notably in South Dakota and Utah.  But Republican Governors have signed constitutional carry bills in Alaska, Arizona, and Wyoming.  The Kansas constitutional carry bill will be going to Governor Brownback soon.

 ©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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