A battle is growing in Wyoming over the state’s Second Amendment Protection Act (SAPA).
The current Wyoming SAPA law has criminal penalties attached. A SAPA law would punish any law enforcement agency and their agents for helping authorities from the federal government from enforcing gun laws. This law prevents the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) from using local law enforcement to assist them in helping enforce federal gun laws that could be potentially constitutionally dubious
The new proposed law will add civil penalties to the criminal penalties after it was amended in the House Appropriations Committee. Supporters of the bill claim that the change would mean actions against law enforcement who help the ATF would be more likely to occur. One group that supported the bill with only civil penalties is Wyoming Gun Owners (WyGO), run by the controversial Aaron Dorr.
Mr. Dorr has claimed that other gun groups were against the bill to protect politicians. He claimed that no other gun groups want civil penalties. This accusation isn’t true. Most other gun groups wanted the current law amended to add civil penalties and keep the criminal penalties intact. One group that opposed the bill when it removed criminal penalties was Gun Owners of America (GOA). They pushed to maintain the criminal penalties in the new bill. Once the bill was amended, the group switched from opposing the proposed law to supporting it.
“Many people have been surprised that we’ve now shifted to supporting this bill,” GOA Wyoming State Direct Mark Jones said. “But we’re more interested in doing what’s right for the citizens of Wyoming than we are playing political games, unlike a lot of people.”
In a YouTube video, Dorr claimed that other gun rights advocates are “carpet baggers” who are not residents of Wyoming. Mr. Dorr himself admitted under oath two years ago that he lives in New York. Mr. Dorr is also the Chairman of the Iowa Firearms Association (IFA), Executive Director of the New York Firearms Association (NYFA), Executive Director of the Georgia Gun Owners Coalition (GGOC), and the Political Director for the Missouri Firearms Coalition (MFC).
The bill also now includes a severability clause meant to protect the law from legal challenges. If one part of the law is found to be problematic by the courts, the rest can stay in effect. Without this protection, if a court finds an issue in one area of the law, then that court could block every provision of the law. The court has blocked SAPA laws in other states, such as Missouri.
The Missouri SAPA law was challenged in court by the Biden Administration. The Missouri bill fined agencies $50,000 per violation. A federal court found that setting a fixed fine was not enforceable and struck down the law. The Wyoming bill has a similar monetary penalty, but the Wyoming bill now reads “up to $50,000” penalty instead of setting a fixed amount. The legislators believe this small change will allow the law to survive a court challenge.
The bill has now passed the House Appropriations Committee, with only a single vote against it from Rep. Trey Sherwood, D-Laramie. The bill is expected to pass both the House and the Senate. Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon is expected to sign the bill into law if it reaches his desk.
About John Crump
Mr. Crump is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people from all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons, follow him on X at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.
