Only guns made, sold and possessed in Montana, of course, which means the bill has a limited scope.  But the intent here is to send a message to the federal government about overstepping their bounds.  The Constitution may give Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce (I don’t think gun control is what the founders had in mind with that particular clause, but that’s a subject for another post), but it doesn’t give the federal government the power to regulate commerce - up to and including guns - that takes place entirely within a given state.

This is a bid for federalism.  The same effort Governor Rick Perry in Texas has taken up.  And this one is being pushed by a Democrat Governor.  One Barry Schweitzer.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer has signed into law a bill that aims to exempt Montana-made guns from federal regulation, adding firepower to a battery of legislative efforts to assert states’ rights across the nation.

“It’s a gun bill, but it’s another way of demonstrating the sovereignty of the state of Montana,” Democrat Schweitzer said.

Since the law applies only to those guns that are made and kept in Montana, its impact is limited. The state is home to just a handful of specialty gun makers, known for recreating rifles used to settle the West, and most of their customers are out-of-state.

But supporters of the new law hope it triggers a court case testing the legal basis for federal rules governing gun sales.

Good on Schweitzer for signing this bill into law.  Democrat or not, I’m behind him on this one.

Because this is exactly what the country needs.  A good, healthy debate (followed hopefully by a good deal of reform) about the appropriate role of federal government and federal overreach.  The states are sovereign, per the 10th amendment, in all matters not specifically reserved to the federal government in the Constitution.  We need to get back to that.