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Texas Knife Law Preemption Bill Passes House Print E-mail ShareThis May 5, 2015: Knife Rights' Texas Knife Law Preemption bill, HB 905, passed the House on the consent calendar 145-0. HB 905 would rid Texas of its patchwork of local knife laws more strict than state law. It now moves to the Senate. Preemption repeals and prevents local ordinances more restrictive than state law which only serve to confuse or entrap law-abiding citizens traveling within or through the state. Preemption ensures citizens can expect consistent enforcement of state knife laws everywhere in the state. Two Texas cities made Knife Rights'...

Texas Capitol Building KnifeRights.org Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- Knife Rights’ bill to repeal the ban on prohibited knives in Texas needs your help. HB 3884 sponsored by Knife Rights friend Representative Harold Dutton needs to be heard as soon as possible in the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee.The Chairman of the committee, Representative Abel Herrero, is a proven pro-Second Amendment legislator and we have no reason to believe he is holding the bill for philosophical reasons, but the clock is ticking and if the bill is not heard in committee very soon, it will end up dead for the session. In Texas...

Every one of the 50 states has some kind of firearms preemption law.   This makes perfect sense, as otherwise each town, county, and local government could enact a local ordinance to invalidate your right to keep and bear arms.   You could easily be placed in jail for an inadvertent violation of an ordinance that you never knew existed, just because you crossed an invisible political boundary.  Michigan has such a law.   MCL 123.1101(a) and MCL 123.1102 preempt local units of government from regulating firearms. School Districts are local units of government.  In Michigan, a number of school districts are...

Two dozen municipalities agreed to get rid of problematic ordinances.

A new state law is taking aim at Pennsylvania municipalities that have their own gun laws, and Reading is taking heed. Council members told 69 News that they intend to soon repeal the ordinance that requires people to report lost or stolen guns within 24 hours. "At the advice of our solicitor, we will now have on our agenda to introduce, an ordinance to repeal the current firearms ordinance," said Councilwoman Marcia Goodman-Hinnershitz, D-Reading.

Gun owners’ groups are threatening to file a lawsuit against the City of Harrisburg in January, if the city does not take steps to rescind its gun ordinances. The group Firearm Owners Against Crime is one of the four groups that joined together to hire a lawyer. The lawyer sent a letter of intent to Harrisburg city officials.

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane is leaving it to the governor's office to defend a lawsuit challenging a law backed by the National Rifle Association that was designed to dismantle illegal municipal firearms ordinances, officials said Friday.

In Pennsylvania, second amendment advocates have been fighting for years to reform Pennsylvania preemption law.   State law forbids local governments from passing a maze of local ordinances that infringe on the right to keep and bear arms.   All 50 states have some form of state firearm preemption; if they did not have it, residents would never know if they were breaking the law or not by being on one side of the street or another. The problem in Pennsylvania is that the Legislature did not provide any penalties for local scofflaw governments when they break the law.   This year,...

A week before Pennsylvania voters render their verdict on his last four years, Republican Gov. Tom Corbett signed a pro-gun law barring local restrictions. Republican Governor Tom Corbett, center, stands with his wife Susan, as he answers questions after a debate with Democratic party candidate for governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Wolf at the WTAE-TV studio in Wilkinsburg, Pa. on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic) The bill specifically would prevent local governments from passing gun laws that are more restrictive than the state gun laws and basically erases existing local gun laws. The bill signing could rally support from...

Tomorrow, October 28, Governor Tom Corbett (R) will sign House Bill 80 into law, strengthening Pennsylvania’s firearm preemption statute. This bill takes effect in sixty days. After four years of hard work, your NRA looks forward to this momentous event in a culmination of all the efforts that NRA members, Second Amendment supporters and Pennsylvania legislators finally accomplished. If you are able, please attend the bill signing ceremony with Governor Tom Corbett and pro-gun members of the Pennsylvania legislature. Event details and information is provided below: Bill Signing Ceremony for House Bill 80 Tuesday, October 28 at 4:00 P.M. Dormont...

Every one of the 50 states has some kind of firearms preemption law.   This makes perfect sense, as otherwise each town, county, and local government could enact a local ordinance to invalidate your right to keep and bear arms.   You could easily be placed in jail for an inadvertent violation of an ordiance that you never knew existed, just because you crossed an invisible political boundary. Pennsylvania has such a law, and it is a well thought out example.  There is only one problem; the means to enforce it is weak.   To prevent local governments form flouting the rule...

HB1243 passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on October 6th, 143 to 54.   The bill adds teeth to the Pennsylvania preemption law that has been on the books for years.   Over 50 local governments have made a mockery of the rule of law by passing restrictive and illegal local ordinances.  The bill allows member organizations to sue municipalities on behalf of their members, so those who push citizen disarmament (disarmenters?)  are claiming that it gives authority for the NRA to sue local governments. That is true, just as the ACLU sues local governments over first amendment issues, or the...

In Pennsylvania, the legislature is looking at a strong preemption bill, HB2011, to put some strength into the Pennsylvania preemption law.   Local governments have been scoffing at the law, because it has no provision for enforcement.   Other states have had to add enforcement measures to their law for this very reason.  All states have some form of preemption for gun laws.  The law seemed likely to be brought up last week.   It wasn't. From ar15.com, brich2929 writes, on 17 September, that State Rep Brad Roae's facebook page had this notice:  We will be voting on a pro gun rights...

The NRA is reporting that an important gun law reform will be coming up for a vote this week.  From the nraila.org: Next week, the Pennsylvania Legislature returns from its summer break, and the NRA has learned that the state House of Representatives may be considering a vote on House Bill 2011 as early as next Monday.  This critical firearms preemption legislation is needed to strengthen and provide consistency in Pennsylvania’s firearm and ammunition laws throughout the state.  To date, nearly fifty municipalities have enacted illegal local gun control ordinances including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Lancaster, Reading and the state capital...

Coeur d'Alene City Council. Idaho, as with most states, has a preemption statute that guarantees uniform gun laws across the state.  The laws have proven to be popular in the United States.  All states have some form of preemption.   In New York, courts have ruled that the State handgun licensing law preempts local ordinances.  The laws vary in their application by state.  The Idaho Second Amendment Alliance is pushing Idaho governments to follow the state law.   Most have been doing so, at least when notified.  Coeur d'Alene seems to have less respect for the rule of law than most.  ...

The Utah municipality of Sandy City has agreed to stop violating state law.   The city had passed ordinances that were  clearly in violation of state law.    Nearly all states control what power is granted to cities.   State power is granted by the Constitution, and constrained by it, as is federal power. Most states have reserved the power to regulate guns to the state level, so that there will be uniform gun laws throughout the state.   Utah is one of the vast majority of states that have a preemption law that does this. The Second Amendment Foundation has been looking...

Governor Jan Brewer vetoed gun law reforms that would have held local governments accountable.   HB 2517 would have put teeth into the state's preemption law, with penalties for government officials that prosecuted people  for violating illegitimate local ordinances.   Florida passed a similar bill in 2011 after scofflaw governments routinely persecuted citizens who exercised their second amendment rights.  Pennsylvania and Ohio are considering similar measures. HB 2339 would have ensured that local governments who wished to prevent people from carrying weapons in public buildings would have to do more than depend on those who would obey signs directing them to...

Today, the state House Federal and State Affairs Committee passed House Bill 2473 by voice vote, sending it to the House floor.  HB 2473 was approved with the addition of a critical self-defense amendment offered by state Representative Michael Houser (R-1), which would allow law-abiding citizens to carry a concealed firearm in their vehicle without having a concealed handgun license (CHL).  Please contact your state Representative TODAY and respectfully urge him or her to support this comprehensive legislation! If passed and enacted into law, HB 2473 would expand Kansas’ firearms preemption provisions to open carry and prohibit municipalities from implementing local...

Knife Rights,  the organization that is opening up a "second front on the second amendment" just announced that a knife preemption bill has been introduced in Kentucky for 2014.  This is from the email that I received from them: Kentucky Knife Law Preemption Bill Filed    Kentucky state Senator Robin Webb has introduced a Knife Rights Knife Law Preemption bill, BR 384,  for the 2014 session.  BR 384 would repeal all existing local knife regulations and prohibit any future knife regulations, making state knife law supreme over the entire state.  It also specifically provides that parties may sue to enjoin...

State Senator Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, has introduced a preemption bill for knives that is very similar to the state's firearms preemption laws. If passed, Altman's bill would safeguard the right to carry a pocket knife across Florida. Sen. Thad Altman Sen. Thad Altman The "Uniform Knife and Weapons Act" would eliminate local knife ordinances, which differ across the state. SB 458 would invest only the state legislature with the power to enact knife laws, and allows for civil penalties against public officials or municipalities that fail to repeal their current knife regulations or seek to pass more