The House Judiciary Committee heard testimony on four bills about gun control this morning at the 2017 Montana Legislature. House Bill 246 would allow firearms on postal service property in Montana, overriding a federal rule that prohibits it. This includes inside the post office, as well as the parking lot.
Republican Representative Seth Berglee of Joliet supports the bill.
"And even people that concealed carry, to say that you can’t just take it off and leave it in your vehicle, that that too would be illegal, I don’t think that’s really in keeping with the traditions of Montana," says Berglee.
Mark Murphy represents the Montana Association of Chiefs of Police. He opposes the bill.
"Our officers take an oath to the United States Constitution and to enforce all the laws," Murphy says. "This will put us in a position of violating the oath that we take when we start."
The other three bills had to do with revising concealed carry laws.
Cole Grant is a reporter with the UM Legislative News Service, a partnership of the University of Montana School of Journalism, the Montana Broadcasters Association and the Greater Montana Foundation.