Rep. Rick Becker (R – District 7) is about as pro-gun as they come in the North Dakota State Legislature. The Father of Constitutional Carry in North Dakota is proving this once again by proposing House Bill 1383.
If passed, HB 1383 would prohibit any state agency, political subdivision, or law enforcement officer from participating in “the investigation, prosecution, or enforcement of a violation of a federal statute, order, rule, or regulation purporting to regulate a firearm, firearm accessory, or firearm ammunition”. In a nutshell, North Dakota would be forbidden from participating in the enforcement of anything related to the feds and guns.
This bill has a bit of history to it. Rep. Becker also sponsored the legislation during the 2019 session, but it was defeated in the House on a vote of 30-62. Another version of it — co-sponsored by Becker — actually passed the House in 2013 (50-42), but didn’t even come close to passing when it hit the Senate (7-38) that year.
The 2013 version actually came about just after Barrack Obama was re-elected President in 2012. Speculation at the time was that serious gun control measures were on the horizon, though Republicans held the majority in the U.S. House.
Fast forward to today and the circumstances surrounding potential gun control legislation, at the federal level, are far more dire than they were in 2013. With Joe Biden occupying the White House and a Democrat majority in both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, it’s almost a certainty we’ll see very serious gun control measures being proposed.
If you haven’t looked at the Biden/Harris agenda regarding guns, then I highly recommend you do so now. You can find it here.
Undoubtedly, one of the reasons some legislators have voted against efforts like Becker’s in the past is because lawmakers get uncomfortable with the idea of not cooperating with the federal government. Nevertheless, the legislation is on sound legal footing. It’s known as the “Anti-commandeering Doctrine”.
As you can see explained in full here, the Anti-commandeering Doctrine exists as a result of the Supreme Court’s holding that states do not have to participate in the enforcement of federal acts or regulatory programs.
Make no mistake about it, gun grabbers in DC are salivating at the idea of passing unprecedented gun control regulations. North Dakota’s lawmakers need to ensure our state has no part in enforcing any of it.
(Note: House Bill 1383 has not been scheduled for a committee hearing yet. But it has been assigned to the Political Subdivisions Committee. Please, watch as it progresses through the legislative process. And more importantly, let members of the committee and your legislators know you want to see this bill passed.)
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Sources:
- https://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/67-2021/bill-index/bi1383.html
- https://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/63-2013/bill-index/bi1183.html
- https://joebiden.com/gunsafety/
- https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2018/05/23/anti-commandeering-an-overview-of-five-major-supreme-court-cases/
- https://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/67-2021/committees/house/political-subdivisions
- https://www.legis.nd.gov/lcn/assembly/constituentViews/public/findmylegislator.htm
