Strong Firearms Preemption Laws Are More Important Than Ever
America's First Freedom
December 29th. 2019
Today, almost all states have a firearms preemption law that prohibits localities from regulating firearms in a manner more stringent than state law. These laws are vital, as they prevent localities from enacting an incomprehensible patchwork of local ordinances.
Without these measures, unsuspecting gun owners would be forced to forego the exercise of their Second Amendment rights or risk running afoul of convoluted and potentially inaccessible local rules.
A look back at a 1970s edition, by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, of “State Laws and Local Ordinances” reveals a baffling mishmash of local ordinances aimed at all manner of firearms-related conduct. Prior to the enactment of preemption statutes, there were city waiting periods, county gun-seller licensing and gun-registration schemes, and local permits to purchase regimes.
With prodding from moneyed interests, localities have become increasingly brazen in defying state preemption statutes.