Wyoming Governor Signs Second Amendment Protection Act
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon has signed a gun-rights bill approved by the recently-concluded 2022 session of the Wyoming Legislature into law.
You can read the Second Amendment Protection Act [Senate File 102] here.
The bill reads in part:
''a) This state and all political subdivisions of this state are prohibited from using any personnel or funds appropriated by the legislature of the state of Wyoming or any other source of funds that originated within the state of Wyoming to enforce, administer or cooperate with any act, law, treaty, judicial or executive order, rule or regulation of the United States government that infringes on or impedes the free exercise of individual rights guaranteed under the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.''
Supporters say that will prevent local law enforcement agencies, for example, from enforcing federal executive orders implementing gun control measures.
But some critics of the legislation are unhappy that it would be up to local prosecuting attorneys to enforce the bill in court. Supporters of the Second Amendment Preservation Act--Senate File 87-- wanted private citizens to be able to take legal action against local or state agencies who violate the Second Amendment. They say they have little confidence in one governmental office reigning in another local or state agency, especially at the local level where the two agencies may have an ongoing working relationship.
Senate File 87 failed an introductory vote in the Senate by a 20-9 margin, with one absent. A House version of the same bill got a majority vote for introduction in that body, with 37 lawmakers voting in favor. But that was just short of the 2/3 majority--40 votes--needed for the introduction of a non-budget bill in a budget session.
Senate File 102 on the other hand, sailed through both houses of the legislature with big majorities voting in favor. Besides the final House vote of 43-15, the Senate earlier approved the bill on a 22-8 vote. The Senate then voted to sign off on House changes in the bill by a 22-7 vote.
Senate File 102 was sponsored by Sen. Larry Hicks [R-Albany, Carbon and Sweetwater Counties]. It was co-sponsored by Sens. Cooper, Dockstader, Driskill, Kinskey, Kolb, Kost, Nethercott and, Steinmetz and Representative(s) Burkhart, Greear, Haroldson, Jennings, Olsen, and Styvar.
You can see a full list of bills the governor has signed into law as well as veto messages on other legislation here.