SE Wyoming News

U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) has introduced legislation aimed at protecting law-abiding gun owners in Wyoming from what she describes as Second Amendment infringements by Democrats. The Lawful Purpose and Historical Firearms Act seeks to preserve the right of Wyoming residents to own and use firearms for lawful purposes while also ensuring that museums and researchers have access to a wide range of weaponry for public display.

"Wyoming is home to some of the most impressive firearm museums in the country, yet the Biden-Harris administration’s latest attack on our Second Amendment rights threatens to limit museum’s access to certain historical weapons and make it harder to share these important parts of our history with other nations," said Lummis. "The Second Amendment could not be clearer, and we have a responsibility to protect law-abiding Wyoming citizens and museums from this administration’s gun-grabbing policies."

Randy Kozuch, Executive Director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA), expressed support for the bill. "This critical legislation would serve as a firewall against future anti-gun administrations bypassing Congress and imposing gun control measures," he stated. "Senator Lummis’ bill would also ensure that all lawful purposes, including self-defense, would have to be given due consideration and respect in the administration of federal law. On behalf of our millions of members nationwide, we thank Senator Lummis for taking the lead on these important and necessary reforms."

George Mocsary, Professor of Law and Director of the Firearms Research Center at the University of Wyoming, highlighted an often-overlooked aspect regarding non-governmental museums. "Not many people know that non-government museums are bound by firearms laws in the United States," he said. "As a result, many historically significant artifacts are destroyed because they cannot be legally possessed by non-governmental entities. No matter where one sits on the political debate regarding firearms, a desire to preserve our nation’s history should be universal. Artifacts connect us to a time and place and we learn, for better or worse, who we are, and who we want to be. It’s exciting to see a bill seeking to allow respected institutions to be stewards of those collections in perpetuity."

The full text of The Lawful Purpose and Historical Firearms Act can be accessed online.