MSSA President Gary Marbut Offers Help to Missoula City Council

The passage of LR-130 last Tuesday removed any local government’s authority in the state to regulate the carrying of permitted concealed weapons.

Gary Marbut, President of the Montana Shooting Sports Association explained the purpose of the resolution.

“Most of your listeners will know that the Missoula City Council tried to impose gun control in the form of their universal background check despite Montana's existing preemption law, which is supposed to prevent that, and so we decided to go to the legislature and try and stiffen and fortify Montana's preemption law and that was on the ballot as LR-130, which was successful,” said Marbut.

Marbut said he has sent messages to the city council with what he feels are helpful suggestions on the issue of firearms.

“I sent a letter to the City Council suggesting that they might want to begin the process of reviewing and revising their ordinances to make them consistent with state law once LR-130 comes into effect on January 1,” he said. “I had included with that letter a resolution that I'd offered to the city council several years ago of things that they could do legally to enhance firearm safety in the community. That includes several different options for firearm safety training for youth and adults, and so if the council’s support of those firearm safety training measures would be legal, and would make the community safer.”

Marbut said any City Councilor could introduce the measure for a vote of the full council.

“Any city council member who would introduce it would be introducing it on their own behalf,” he said. “I simply provided the written document formatted for resolution, and now it's in the public domain and if they want to use it, they may.”