It is important to recognize and celebrate milestones in defense of the Second Amendment, and another was recently reached in the great state of Montana.
The controversial policy by the Montana Urban Transportation District (MUTD) prohibiting the carry or transport of weapons on its vehicles was removed.
The significant victory was spearheaded by the Montana Shooting Sports Association (MSSA) and Gary Marbut. For the uninitiated, Marbut is the preeminent voice of gun rights advocates in Montana, and most of the state’s laws enshrining the freedom to keep and bear arms have his fingerprints on them.
The battle over guns on buses has been ongoing for years.
It was 2016 when the MSSA first requested that the policy be revoked. However, the agency quickly responded through counsel that the protocol was legally sound and recommended that it stand.
The standoff remained in Feb. 2023 when Marbut wrote MUTD and informed them that the unconstitutional prohibition should end. “We respectfully request that you remove this policy from whatever policy set MUTD has adopted” and instruct officials on the termination of the procedure.
Marbut told MUTD that the anti-firearm policy violated both the Montana and U.S. constitutions.
It is noteworthy that in Nov. 2020, the state established its preemption law concerning firearms. This in effect made the regulation of weapons an issue concerning the state as a whole and removed the ability to enact gun control measures from all but the state government.
The Mountain Line policy change declared that all passengers who are legally allowed will be able to carry weapons on its buses. The prohibition of carry in bus line buildings remains in effect.
Kudos to Marbut and the MSSA for tearing down this prohibition on legal carry. Efforts to reach the same results for mass transit systems in other states continue.
