Montana Legislature Passes Bill to Amend State Constitution on Concealed Carry
BY Herschel Smith
1 year, 6 months ago
On Wednesday, the Montana Senate gave final approval to a bill that would place a constitutional amendment on the ballot to remove a clause restricting concealed carry. The amendment would limit the state’s power to regulate the concealed carrying of firearms and also foster an environment hostile to federal gun control.
Rep. Casey Knudsen (R) introduced House Bill 551 (HB551) on Feb. 14. The bill concerns Article II, Section 12 of the state constitution, which reads:
Right to bear arms. The right of any person to keep and bear arms in defense of 19 his own home, person, and property, or in aid of the civil power when thereto legally summoned, shall not be 20 called in question, but nothing herein contained shall be held to permit the carrying of concealed weapons.”
HB551 would place an amendment on the ballot to remove “but nothing herein contained shall be held to permit the carrying of concealed weapons” from that section. It would also change the phrase “keep or bear arms” to “keep and bear arms.”
Passage of HB551 now places the proposed amendment on the ballot in the November 2024 general election.
On April 4, the House passed HB551 by a 65-33 vote. It then cleared the Senate 33-17, narrowly reaching the two-thirds majority necessary.
Montana legalized permitless carry in 2021. This constitutional amendment would make it more difficult for the state to repeal that law. More generally, it would set the stage to end any state regulation on concealed carry.
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Because it is a constitutional amendment, it will bypass the governor and now be sent to voters for approval in 2024.
Readers in Montana can weigh in with details, but I expect this to pass a voter referendum.
Montana – showing the rest of the states how to do it right. Make it a constitutional amendment.
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On May 5, 2023 at 8:32 am, Matt said:
Just an observation, but why does it seem that every state has a constitutional clause regarding prohibiting concealed carry?
On May 5, 2023 at 9:39 am, Frank Clarke said:
@Matt: Those constitutions date from an era when carrying concealed was viewed as something done only by those with ill-intent. Gentlemen carried openly; highwaymen carried concealed.
On May 5, 2023 at 10:25 am, Herschel Smith said:
@Frank,
Good answer. And thus my point has been proven again – “Gentlemen carried openly; highwaymen carried concealed.”
The founders always carried openly. It’s the habit of good upbringing and class.
On May 5, 2023 at 10:26 am, PGF said:
And a top down cultural shift has been made causing society to view the appearance of firearms as dirty or dangerous while concealed as respectable.
This proves a few things, but I have other stuff to do right now; I’ll simply say, there are very few gentlemen left in Western Civilization. And it saddens me to be a product of the rot.