Jun

7

Montana Sovereignty Question

June 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment

All of the press that Montana got recently over the proposed firearms legislation got me wondering. According to Gary Marbut:

“HB 246 declares that any firearms, ammunition and firearm accessories made and retained in Montana are not subject to any federal regulation or control under the power given to Congress in the U.S. Constitution to ‘regulate commerce … among the states’.”

Of course I think it’s a pretty good idea – if something is completely made and used solely in Montana, then it shouldn’t be subject to Federal laws, etc. It sounds reasonable.
But then I thought: if this is such a good idea, shouldn’t it apply to other things, too? For example, beef: if a cow is raised in Montana, sold in Montana, slaughtered in Montana, and consumed completely in Montana by Montanans, then shouldn’t that cow and beef be exempt from any Federal laws or rules – such as the USDA or FDA, etc?
In other words: if the state sovereignty legislation for firearms is the right thing to do, then shouldn’t Montana apply the same standard to other products? Or is there an aspect of this legislation that I don’t understand?


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