Hey y'all, Im recently 18 and looking to buy a handgun, I know that I cant buy from an FFL and that I can do a private sale on MT gun trader or in some other similar forumn. However I want to buy a new gun because I dont have enough experince with firearms to know what to look for and what fair prices are. I was thinking about going to a Sky Blue show in Helena tommorow but I dont want to make the drive and pay the entry fee to find out no one will sell to me. Do you think people would do a private sale with me?

I wrote a blog post on this at the beginning of the year. It now appears that it's made it's way into the courts, and the MT Attorney General office is taking the side that "draw" does not include "point." It will be interesting to see how this case comes out.

https://montana1stnews.com/2023/10/23/is-the-montana-ag-inducing-a-district-court-judge-to-undo-the-mssas-landmark-gun-law/

Here's the analysis from MSSA and a local lawyer:

https://montanatalks.com/montana-supreme-races-from-the-scope-of-a-gun-rights-view/

We're cruisin' through Montana on our way back to Calgary and lookin' to make the most of it. We're super keen to shoot some guns or hit up some dirt biking trails. If anyone's got the hookup or is down to show a couple of Canadians a good time, hit us up! We're flexible with location and time and happy to make any detour.

From SW Montana, nearest classes are 200 mi. away in Idaho Falls. Know of any nearer?

Modern Samurai Project will be teaching the Red Dot Instructor class in September (7th - 8th) in Three Forks at Montana Tactical Firearms Instruction.

Sign up on the MSP Website here: https://modern-samurai-project.myshopify.com/products/p

This is a don't miss class if you want to stay at the top of your game as an instructor.

im a homeless traveler trying to settle in montana.

buying a glock 20 in oregon was much simpler; simple background check and the dealer calls you when youre found clean

eventually sold it back bc i was planning to travel again after i worked a few jobs — a potential felony getting pulled off the freight with a handgun in your possession. transporting,trespassing, etc.

TLDR; what exactly is the difference between a mailing address and a residential address. i mean, how exactly are they going to prove youre not living outside.. and what kind of documentation do they want to see? at the dmv for example i just give them the local homeless services mailing address.

would a photocopy of a pay stub work?

thanks

https://preview.redd.it/p7btwmnue9yc1.jpg?width=2200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4e1718a432350419b0120bf271a29218836e3458

Aron Cowan is a national level instructor. This is a rare opportunity to train with him without having to travel too far. This class is for instructors. Learn all about how to train the Red Dot.

More information at the MTFI page.

To sign up, go to the Sage Dynamics page and sign up for the June 7-9 class in Three Forks.

"[Montana] has the highest rate of gun ownership in the country. Montana would make top five best carry states if it had Campus Carry and allowed carry in state game preserves."

Here's one of the great things about Montana law -- a landlord cannot prohibit weapons. Neither can hotels, motels, temporary rentals, etc.

https://mt-gun-rights.com/2024/02/07/can-a-landlord-enforce-a-no-gun-policy/

IANAL.

The libertarian in me thinks people should be able to contract however they like, but I'll be inconsistent and say I like this law.

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I've heard conflicting advice on this question, so I decided to research it for a definitive answer.

IANAL, this is not legal advice. But it should make for some good reading.

https://mt-gun-rights.com/2024/02/02/can-you-carry-in-a-bar-in-montana/

Is there any good public or blm land areas to shoot guns around great falls. Cant seem to find anything on onX. not really into the shooting complex. TIA

Not that law enforcement in Montana isn't sympathetic to the 2A, but did MT just remove qualified immunity for 2A violations?

https://mt-gun-rights.com/2024/01/23/do-police-have-immunity-for-violating-second-amendment-rights-in-montana/

Can anyone give me some insight on state-wide or county-specific (either Missoula or Ravalli) laws and regs on shooting on private land?

In-laws, wife and I are looking at going in together to purchase some acreage, and being able to shoot on it would be a massive plus. So far in Googling I’ve only found mention of no shooting within 500 feet of an occupied structure without the owner’s permission.

What else would I need to be mindful of, or can someone help direct me to where I could find more/clearer info? Thanks.

When I was doing some research on other 2A cases not reported yet, I found another case: US v. Stennerson (18 USC §§ 922(g)(3) and 922(n)). That judge for Stennerson is Susan Watters, the same one for Metcalf (18 USC §§ 922(q), or the Federal GFSZA).

I presume that it’s very likely that the judge will deny the motion to dismiss indictment and proceed to sentence Gabriel Metcalf for having a gun in a buffer zone near the school because in Stennerson, she denied Stennerson’s motion to dismiss indictment on 2A grounds by saying that she is bound by pre-Bruen 9th Circuit cases US v. Vongxay (§ 922(g)(1)) and US v. Dugan (§ 922(g)(3)). However, though I haven’t fully read the opinions yet, it seems as if the analysis in these cases is not the type that Bruen requires, so these two should have been overruled. In the case for GFSZA, I wonder if there’s a pre-Bruen 9th Circuit precedent upholding that.

US v. Stennerson is now on appeal in the 9th Circuit. From what I saw, the opening brief has been filed, and answering brief is due on January 12, 2024. I can’t get the docket to appear on CourtListener because it’s using ACMS besides the 2nd Circuit. The Free Law Project is currently working on getting RECAP to be compatible with ACMS.

Regarding Stennerson, a Montana State court told him to not possess firearms, destructive devices, or other dangerous weapons after being charged with two counts of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and releasing him. He was also charged with one count of Burglary. Both are felonies in Montana. He was later discovered with a stolen handgun and some explosive material, and he got federal charges for unlawful drug user status and firearm receipt under indictment. Besides 2A grounds, he also says that 18 USC §§ 922(g)(3) violates the due process clause of 5A, and is unconstitutionally vague.

I just wonder if it’s too late for us to file amicus briefs in support of Stennerson to help him strike down those two laws as unconstitutional.

I'm 19 and was wondering if a parent could purchase and then gift me a handgun even though i'm under 21.

Defendant’s reply to US’s response here.

Long story short, Metcalf re-iterates that Montana Code Annotated §45-8-360 suffices 18 USC §922(q)(2)(B)(ii), which is the licensing exception for the federal Gun Free School Zones Act (GFSZA).

Congress when passing GFSZA left the licensing implementation up to the states, so Montana passed §45-8-360 to meet that federal licensing exception. While US cites US v. Tait in its response to show that one needs to have a license that is verified by the state of Alabama to meet the federal exception, Metcalf cites the same case to rebut US’s point by citing the 11th Circuit’s statement Alabama’s law is the only pertinent law to §922(q)(2)(B)(ii) while rejecting US’s statement that the license is “void” because Alabama’s law is too relaxed to qualify for the exception (US is bringing up the same argument for Metcalf’s case). Personally, I think that Metcalf’s reasoning for that exception is somewhat untenable because licensed is mainly for concealed carry, and here, he was openly carrying a long gun.

In regards to 2A grounds, US is trying to say that Metcalf “has not met his burden to demonstrate that his conduct was covered by the text of the Second Amendment” as he carried in the 1000 ft buffer zone, which is a “sensitive place”. In reality, Metcalf’s conduct is carrying a long gun, which meets the textual threshold. The 1000 ft buffer zone ban is the government’s burden, not Metcalf’s. The government’s earliest examples (which appeared in the early 19th century) were the school’s own gun-free zones for students only, and state laws (which appeared later) regarding school restrictions didn’t outright ban all conduct under 2A on the entire school grounds and property, let alone the school’s vicinity.

I hope that the judge declares the 1000 ft buffer zone ban unconstitutional as applied to Metcalf at least, but that’s unlikely.

First Motion to Dismiss Indictment

Memorandum

Long story short, Metcalf wants the charge under 18 U.S.C. §922(q)(2)(A), which is the Federal Gun-Free School Zones Act (see legal code here) dismissed because

1. He is licensed under 18 U.S.C. §922(q)(2)(B)(ii)

2. 18 U.S.C. §922(q)(2)(A) is unconstitutional

From what I understand, Metcalf was openly carrying a .22LR rifle to protect his home and family from a stalker, and it is alleged that he has stepped onto the sidewalk. One thing to note that his home is nearby an elementary school, and under the Federal GFSZA, the 1,000 feet buffer zone around the campus counts as a school zone.

The best case scenario is that he only gets dismissed under item 2, saying that the 1,000 feet buffer zone prohibition is unconstitutional while leaving the campus ground prohibition in place. Judge Watters, however, is an Obama appointee, so there’s a high chance that she will not dismiss the indictment.

Let me know if I missed anything.

The Montana Shooting Sports Association is looking for plaintiffs for their lawsuit against the City of Missoula, who has banned carrying firearms on their buses. This ban is in violation of state law.

Lawsuit Printer Go Brr

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I’ve been living in Montana since November and have a 6 month lease. I am from NY and still have a NY license, so gun shops won’t sell me anything.

Would it be legal for me to buy a pistol through a private sale as long as I only keep it in Montana and don’t bring it back to NY?

I tried searching around but couldn’t find a good answer anywhere

There are public hearings coming quickly on MSSA bills, specifically:

Wednesday, 2/22, before the Senate Business and Labor Committee is MSSA's SB 361, carried by Sen. John Fuller, to prohibit discrimination because of firearms in finance, insurance, and other areas. The Committee meets at 8:30 A.M.

Thursday 2/23, there are two MSSA bills before the House Judiciary Committee. HB 629 sponsored by Rep. Brandon Ler, covers the cost of legal defense if a person uses force in self defense, is charged with a crime, pleads self defense, and is not convicted. HB 631, sponsored by Rep. Jedediah Hinkle, would allow you to obtain court costs and attorney fees if you must sue a government entity to assert your RKBA and win. This Committee meets at 8:00 A.M.

Friday 2/24, again before the House Judiciary Committee, is HB 604, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Carlson. This is MSSA's "Sheriffs First" bill that would require the written permission of the local county sheriff before federal officers arrest, search, or seize in the sheriff's county. We used to call this the "No More Wacos" or "No More Ruby Ridges" bill. Again, this Committee meets at 8:00 A.M.

This is where we start our major push this legislative session. If you can show up to speak in favor of these bills, please do. If not, be sure to get messages to Committee members asking them to support these bills. If you are able to attend any of these hearings, please review this material about presenting at such hearings.

Girlfriend is working in the Butte Area for four months and I wanted to get some local thoughts on ranges for her to check out. She largely shoots .22 handguns and rifles for fun but has a .308 paper gun, a 9mm handgun and an SP5 (Also 9mm). She's probably more interested in a consistent range for the .22s but full coverage would be cool.

As a bonus if there are any run and gun courses within a couple hours distance of Butte some direction on where best to look would be greatly appreciated.

What are the requirements to selling a firearm in Mt. Also, is there a record with the state if somehow the one I sold becomes part of a crime? I do not plan on selling to someone I don't trust, before that comes up, just curious. Seems like if there is no record made, it just could potentially lead to loss of man hours tracking down all the sales of that firearm.

[A moderator approved me posting this message] Hello! My name is Logan Smith, I’m a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student at Oklahoma State University. I’m doing research into how firearm owners prefer to learn about suicide prevention, and I could use your help.

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We want to learn what firearm owners think about suicide prevention messages, and who they want to hear those messages from. Many of the current efforts to teach firearm owners about suicide prevention – such as safe storage of your firearm, or recognizing the warning signs of a suicidal crisis – have not been successful. It is believed that this might be due to firearm owners preferring to learn about suicide prevention from different people than the ones reaching out to them.

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That’s why it’s important to hear from real firearm owners, like you.

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The research that I am doing is an important step in understanding why firearm owners might prefer certain messengers over others. While there is no direct compensation for participating in this study, your participation would provide valuable data for our study. Anyone who currently is, or ever was, a firearm owner is welcome to participate in this project.

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All of your answers are kept completely anonymous; we won’t ask any identifying information about you, or keep a list of who responded. We will not be attaching your answers to your personal identity in any way. This research has been approved by the Institutional Review Board at Oklahoma State University. The study should take about 20-30 minutes to complete; for some people, it can take longer, and for others it can be shorter.

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If you’re interested in participating, have questions about eligibility, or would like to know more, please send me a direct message on here or an email at logan.smith12@okstate.edu.

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Thank you for taking the time to read this!

To participate, please click on the link below:

https://okstatecas.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4VMW7rf6zzQF1Ai

Hey y'all, I am an early 30's female moving from Florida to Montana. Got 5 shotguns, 5 rifles, 2 pistols, lots of ammo, and 2 dogs. I am planning to bring all of these precious belongings with me in my truck (with tonneau cover). I am posting here more for local knowledge -- I was thinking of stopping in Chattanooga, Kansas City, Rapid City and end up in Helena. Any tips or advice on these locations or any other local gun safety would be welcome. I have all my guns in hard cases with locks. Don't plan on carrying a loaded pistol for safety, although it's crossed my mind. Thanks in advance!

PS - going to haul all of those precious belongings into the hotels at night, obviously.