While Washington tackles gun policy, one state is passing legislation of its own to prevent the federal government from restricting its citizens’ Second Amendment rights.
Earlier this week, Republican Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas signed into law a bill that would void any new federal gun control legislation in the state of Kansas. Dubbed the “The Second Amendment Protection Act,” the new law nullifies any federal law that infringes on the Second Amendment rights of Kansans — both now and in the future.
The legislation, which gets its basis in the Tenth Amendment, reads:
Co-authored by state Rep. Brett Hildabrand (R-Shawnee), the bill had previously passed both the state House and Senate with large margins.
But it looks like the new law won’t be necessary at the moment, as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced Thursday that he was pulling his gun control legislation for the time being.
Brownback also signed legislation this week that gives concealed carry permit holders more freedom to carry their firearms throughout the state; however, college and university campuses are still off-limits.
“The right to bear arms has long been among those constitutional rights held most sacred by the citizens of Kansas,” a spokesman for Brownback said in a statement to Red Alert Politics. “The bills passed by the legislature, which have now been signed into law, reaffirm the Second Amendment rights of our citizens to legally bear arms and protect themselves from those among us who choose not to follow our laws.”
The former U.S. Senator has been busy of late signing several conservative bills into law, including a bill allowing welfare recipients to be drug tested and one that restricts abortions in the state by declaring that life begins at fertilization.
While many states like Maryland are swinging farther to the left, Kansas seems to be shifting the other way.
