States Challenge Feds On Guns

Eight states have thrown down the gauntlet and denied the federal government’s authority to regulate firearms that never cross state lines. In 2009, Montana became the first to enact a law declaring any gun manufactured and kept within the state’s borders was subject only to state rules. It’s now up to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to decide whether Montana – and by extension Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wyoming – must yield to the whims of Uncle Sam.

Gary S. Marbut, president of the Montana Shooting Sports Association, wants to manufacture a .22 caliber bolt-action rifle for youth, exclusively for Treasure State residents. Mr. Marbut currently runs a small business that manufacturers equipment for shooting ranges. He has sourced all the material needed to make the “Montana Buckaroo” rifle, including prototype parts. If he assembles just one rifle to fill any of the 500 preliminary orders he has received for the product, he’ll face federal charges. “It was my intention to set up this lawsuit to challenge federal Commerce Clause power and to breathe some life back into the 10th Amendment,” Mr. Marbut told The Washington Times.

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http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jun/15/states-challenge-feds-on-guns