Giving credit where it's due: Montana's Governor Schweitzer does the right thing

Early last month, both houses of the Montana legislature passed a bill that will exempt from federal regulation firearms made in Montana, and which are intended only for sale in Montana. At the time, I expressed some uncertainty about whether Governor Brian Schweitzer (D) would sign the bill.

I am pleased to say that I was wrong to doubt him.

''It's a gun bill, but it's another way of demonstrating the sovereignty of the state of Montana,'' said Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer, who signed the bill.

Exactly right, Governor.

Let's see just how far the feds are willing to go in their rape of the interstate commerce clause.

A BATFE spokesthuggette apparently hadn't yet received guidance on what to say about this development:

Carrie DiPirro, a spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, had no comment on the legislation. But the federal government has generally argued that it has authority under the interstate commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution to regulate guns because they can so easily be transported across state lines.

Am I to understand, then, that something that is made in-state, to be sold and kept in-state, can be regulated by the feds as "interstate commerce," if that item is portable, and thus can be moved out of state?

The citizen disarmament lobby is predictably coming unhinged (or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that they're allowing their more or less permanent unhinged status to be more evident).

''Guns cross state lines and they do so constantly, and this is a Sagebrush Rebellion-type effort to light some sort of fire and get something going that's pleasing to the gun nuts and that has very little actual sense,'' said Peter Hamm, communications director for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

Does it just make you mad enough to threaten to shoot someone, Petey?

The New England Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence is also providing us with the enjoyment of its anguished bleating.

But Montana is not the only state looking to make it legal for dangerous people and children to buy guns. Similar legislation has been introduced in Alaska, Texas, Colorado, and Tennessee. This week, a Texas House committee held hearings on a bill that would not only exempt Texas-made firearms, gun accessories and ammunition sold within the state from federal gun regulations but would also add the provision that the Texas Attorney General’s office defend any Texans who are prosecuted by the federal government because of this law.

Putting aside the fact that exempting guns from federal regulations is an incredibly bad and recklessly dangerous idea, these bills fly in the face of everything this country stands for. They are meant to undermine our federal system of government. If states can exempt themselves from federal gun laws what else can they opt out of?

Let's hope the courts act quickly and decisively to shut down this clearly unconstitutional law. Shame on legislators for supporting these bills that are not only dangerous, but blatantly anti-American.

You got that? The Tenth Amendment is "anti-American." And "War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength," right?