Texas Fights Federal Gun Control and Commerce Clause Abuse

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You know that Texas has become the 21st state to allow permitless carry (starting in September), but you may not know that Gov. Greg Abbott signed another bill at the same time that would allow for Texans to buy silencers without a license, as long as they were built in Texas. The bill not only tests the federal government’s control over the 2nd Amendment but also the extent to which the Constitution’s Commerce Clause protects commerce within the boundaries of a state.  The Commerce Clause gives Congress the power “to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian.” Advocates for the Texas bill on silencers (and others) say that the clause should not cover any commerce that doesn’t leave the state. The WSJ reports:

Texas is renewing a strategy that seeks to circumvent federal gun-control laws, one that lawmakers hope makes its way to the Supreme Court to test longstanding doctrine on gun regulation.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott gathered with Republican lawmakers at the Alamo Thursday to ceremonially sign several gun-related bills passed during the recent legislative session, including one making the open carry of handguns without a license legal, and another allowing state residents to buy Texas-made gun silencers without a federal license.

While the open carry bill drew national attention, the less-noticed silencer bill revives a strategy to avoid federal regulation of guns, a strategy that federal courts have blocked in other states. Gun-rights advocates think they have a better shot now because of the addition of three conservative justices appointed by former Republican President Donald Trump.

The GOP-controlled Legislature last month passed a bill along mostly partisan lines that would allow residents to sidestep federal regulation, including background checks and a special tax, on the theory that the U.S. Constitution doesn’t expressly allow federal regulation of commerce within a state’s borders, only commerce between states.

“Passing the bill is a first step,” said Rachel Malone, the Texas director of Gun Owners of America, an advocacy group. She said it could be years before silencers, also known as suppressors, can be bought and sold in Texas, because the measure needs to wend its way through federal courts. The bill also requires the Texas attorney general to bear the legal burden of defending challenges to the law in federal court.

Action Line: There are many states in which you can already buy a silencer for your firearm, it just takes some time and money. If that’s something you’re interested in, start today. And if you’re getting a gun, get some training to go with it.

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E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. His focus at all times is on preparing clients and readers for “Times Like These.” E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zildjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart (RIP) of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West (RIP JB) and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com To sign up for my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter, click here.

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