Two important pieces of pro-gun legislation were approved in the Montana House on Tuesday.
House Bill 262 would expand “permitless” concealed carry—currently only allowed outside city limits—to cover the entire state. Because permitless open carry is legal across the state, applying the same standard to concealed firearms is only logical, argues the Montana Sports Shooting Association. “[i]f a law-abiding person were wearing a firearm, this bill would make it legal to put on a coat inside city limits without a government permit to dress for cold or wet weather,” the group explained.
House Bill 246 would affect carry regulations at U.S. Post Offices. If passed, law-abiding gun owners would have the option of either storing their firearm in a parked vehicle on post office property or carrying their firearm in areas open to the public.
While the bills should fare well in the Republican-controlled state Senate, they will still have to make it past Gov. Steve Bullock. We’ll keep you posted as these measures progress.