One state against the feds

Utah’s recently passed “Utah State-Made Firearms Protection Act” seeks to exclude from federal regulation firearms and “firearm-related items” that are made in the state exclusively for use in the state. The bill is meant to “assert Utah’s authority under the U.S. Constitution to regulate wholly intrastate commerce,” according to Gov. Gary Herbert’s office.

American City & County asked the readers of its weekly e-mail newsletters if Utah should have the right to exclude products made in the state only for local consumption from federal regulation. Below are some of the responses.

“Can Utah, its governor and attorney general guarantee that these “made-in-Utah weapons” will always be used as anticipated in their anti-federalism logic? That said, firearms will not leave Utah and be used against people in other states? The overriding anti-federalism theme running here, and now in [Virginia] with health care reform counter legislation, are misguided attempts to show [the] anti-Obama mettle of these neo-con state leaders and their [misinterpretation] of public sentiment and wariness of change and national level solutions to problems that states like Utah and [Virginia] have been ignoring for decades. They rail against taxes, Big Brother, Washington and probably the liberal elite now in charge of [the nation] , so let’s waste the taxpayers’ [dollars] and time on wrong-headed states’ rights legislation. That will solve these problems, pronto. Ostrich-like actions may be ‘feel good’ legislation, but they don’t result in positive action or long-term solutions. I’m sure Rush L., Glen B. and S. Hannity will make heroes out of these Utah [politicians]. Shame.”
— Jay Gsell, Genesee County, N.Y., county manager

“If the items are made in state and can be only consumed or used within the state, and have no ability to be transported to another state, the federal rules should not apply. Firearms and related materials that are easily transported across state boundaries should not be exempt from coverage when they become interstate commerce. The difficulty is knowing when such items do, in fact, become interstate commerce.”
— Kirby Bonds, construction contractor, Phoenix