North Dakota: Important Pro-Gun Bills Beat Legislative Deadline and are Now Pending in Senate

Three pro-gun bills passed in the state House of Representatives and were sent to the Senate before North Dakota’s legislative crossover date last Friday.  These important pieces of legislation will soon be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee, but have not yet been scheduled for a hearing.  Your participation is necessary to ensure their timely passage.

Please contact your state Senator and urge him or her to support the following bills when they come up for a vote:

House Bill 1467, sponsored by state Representative Karen Karls (R-35), is emergency powers protection legislation that would prohibit the state or any government agency, during a declared state of emergency, from prohibiting or restricting the otherwise lawful possession, use, carrying, transfer, transportation, storage, or display of a firearm or ammunition; seizure or confiscation of a lawfully possessed firearm; or requiring registration of a firearm or ammunition for which registration is not otherwise required by law.  (Passed by a 76-17 vote in the House on February 25.)

House Bill 1366, sponsored by state Representative Rick Becker (R-7), would amend current law to allow individuals with a valid concealed weapons license (CWL) to possess a firearm at public gatherings including athletic events, political rallies, musical concerts, in publically owned parks and buildings, and in churches or schools with permission from the appropriate authority.  Currently, possession by a CWL holder at these events is a class B misdemeanor.  (Passed by a 58-35 vote in the House on February 25.)

House Bill 1183, sponsored by state Representative Roscoe Streyle (R-3), would prohibit state and local law enforcement officers and agents from assisting the federal government to enforce federal gun control laws passed after January 1, 2013.  (Passed by a 50-42 vote in the House on February 25.)

Please contact your state Senator soon and urge him or her to support these important pro-gun reforms.  Click here for assistance identifying your state Senator and to view their contact information.  Please stay tuned to www.nraila.org and check your e-mail inbox for further legislative updates as these bills progress in the legislative process.