Appropriations committee advances Second Amendment Preservation Act amendment after testimony on civil penalties and ATF raid

The Wyoming House Appropriations Committee voted 6-1 to pass Senate File 196 as amended after several hours of testimony and debate on the measure that would reinstate criminal penalties related to federal gun-law enforcement in Wyoming and create a civil cause of action for alleged infringements.

The bill, described by sponsor Representative Lee Harrelson as amendments to the Second Amendment Preservation Act, would reinsert criminal penalties the committee said were previously in state law, add a civil remedy allowing citizens to sue agencies (not individual officers) for alleged violations and add definitional language clarifying who counts as a peace officer. The committee also adopted a severability clause to protect portions of the act if parts are challenged in court.

Why it matters: Proponents say the combination of criminal penalties and a civil path will deter agencies from enforcing federal gun restrictions in the state; opponents warned the bill could produce legal conflicts for officers who must follow state arrest statutes or respond to federal warrants and could expose local agencies to mandatory civil penalties.

Support and amendments Mark Jones, national director of Gun Owners of America, told the committee the organization had opposed the bill when it was first introduced because it initially appeared to repeal Wyoming's earlier criminal statute, but that changes made in the Senate and two amendments he proposed had made the measure acceptable to GOA. “This bill does not stop ICE immigration. This bill does not stop drug task forces. What this bill does is stops the enforcement of federal gun control,” Jones said, adding the bill should include a severability…