Firearm Preemption Laws
Gun control supporters demand that state legislatures impose a wide variety of gun control restrictions within their borders. However, they hypocritically cry foul when legislatures use their power to limit gun control. Frustrated at their inability to convince state legislatures to adopt the restrictive firearm laws they propose, gun control supporters say that local jurisdictions should be able to adopt those restrictions independently.
Aside from gun control supporters’ hypocrisy, there are multiple arguments against local restrictions on basic firearm rights. Historically, some local jurisdictions have imposed clearly unconstitutional restrictions on gun ownership—the District of Columbia’s and Chicago’s since-overturned handgun bans being two recent examples. It also creates confusion when laws vary widely within a state, potentially placing otherwise law-abiding citizens at risk of violating an ordinance of which they were not previously aware, as they travel within their states, and more so when they travel outside their state of residence.
As a result, almost all states today have a law prohibiting local jurisdictions from imposing gun control restrictions that are more severe than state law.
Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Florida’s highest court upheld the penalty provision in the state’s preemption statute, which holds local officials accountable by directly fining ...
Friday, December 17, 2021
NRA-ILA’s Office of Litigation Counsel spent 2021 defending the Second Amendment across the country. As new cases were ...
Monday, February 22, 2021
Today, the Washington Court of Appeals struck two firearms-storage ordinances under the state’s preemption law in an NRA-ILA case.
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
In an NRA-backed challenge, the Allegheny Court of Common Pleas found that Pittsburgh's attempt to impose local gun control measures ...
Thursday, October 24, 2019
The National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) today applauded a decision by the Montana state Supreme Court protecting the ...
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Gov. Mike Parson says he will not call a special legislative session to address gun violence in St. ...
Friday, April 12, 2019
While some Pittsburgh residents are ready to file private criminal complaints over the city's recently passed gun-control laws, ...
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Gun rights groups sued Tuesday to block Pittsburgh from enforcing firearms legislation passed after a mass shooting at ...
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
The Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved new gun control legislation that will place restrictions on the use of ...
Friday, March 22, 2019
NRA applauds Illinois court ruling throwing out Village of Deerfield's ban on commonly owned firearms and magazines.