CONTACT THE WYOMING GOVERNOR AND SENATOR SALAZAR!
WE HAVE SOME BAD NEWS TO REPORT – BUT FIRST LET’S REVIEW HOW WE GOT TO THIS POINT.
In 2022, GOA fought to pass Wyoming Statute 9-14-203 which imposed a Criminal Penalty of imprisonment for not more than one (1) year, and a fine of not more than two thousand dollars ($2,000.00), for state or local officials who infringe on your Second Amendment Rights.
Many Second Amendment experts believe this law is the nation’s strongest Criminal Second Amendment Protection Act (SAPA) because it is a serious deterrent for officials who would infringe on your Rights!
Since the passage of the 2022 law, GOA has worked in Cheyenne every year to add a process allowing citizens to take Civil Action against Agencies and Departments that infringes on our Second Amendment Rights.
Sadly, some dishonest groups and legislators have played political games with these facts and misrepresented these issues to the people of Wyoming for four years!
Click here for an article from the publication Ammoland that gives a national perspective on the truth about Wyoming SAPA over the last four Legislative cycles.
At the beginning of this 2025 Legislative Session, 8 Wyoming Legislators, with the backing of the dishonest group exposed in Ammoland, proposed SF0196.
As originally written, this bill would have destroyed the criminal penalty in Wyoming law for Wyoming officials who infringe on your Second Amendment Rights.
Without reason or evidence, the 8 Legislators falsely claimed this was “advancing Second Amendment Rights.”
Thanks to the hard work and emails of GOA’s members and supporters, we were able to heavily amend the bill with pro-Second Amendment improvements in both the Senate and House and get it to the Governor’s desk.
The legislation that passed protected the 2022 Criminal Penalties in Wyoming law and established a process allowing citizens to sue Agencies and Departments when Rights are violated!
NOW BACK TO THAT BAD NEWS!
On March 18, in what Cowboy State Daily described as a “Veto Party,” Governor Gordon vetoed this important legislation.
Before you TAKE ACTION, please let me explain how Senate deceit allowed the Governor to have the opportunity to veto this legislation without threat of a veto override by the Wyoming Legislature.
The prime bill sponsor, Senate Vice President Tim Salazar, the same man who proposed gutting Second Amendment Protections before we heavily amended his bill, is primarily to blame.
Salazar asked the House to delay Committee Hearings for several days. These delays ultimately gave the Governor free reign to issue a veto without threat of an override.
Any Wyoming law passed less than 3 days before Legislative adjournment can be vetoed by the Governor weeks after Legislators leave Cheyenne!
HERE IS HOW THAT WORKED FOR YOUR SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS IN THIS CASE.
A hearing was listed on the Wyoming Legislative website be be held on Friday, February 21, and citizens had already signed up on the Wyoming Legislative website to testify. This was almost two weeks before the Legislators were scheduled to leave town on March 6.
Salazar asked the House to delay the hearing until February 24, and later the hearing was delayed again to February 25.
The bill was finally heard on both February 25 and February 26 ultimately passing Committee 5 days after it could have passed.
The bill still had to go through House Floor readings and debate, and the delays Salazar requested in Committee meant that the bill did not finally pass the full House with 3 days or more left in the 2025 Wyoming Legislative Session.
The House Speaker did not sign the bill until March 5 – one day before the Legislature adjourned.
If SF0196 would have passed with 3 days or more left in the 2025 Session, the Legislature would have been in session and able to override a Governor’s veto!
The 4-5 days of delays in Committee Hearings were the reason the bill failed to make the cutoff!
This legislation received 82 yes votes and only 8 no votes (3 were excused) for a 91% approval! This means that the Legislature adjourned despite having a vast majority to override a veto.
The only way Gordon had unfettered ability to veto the Legislation without any fear of a Legislative override was by the Committee delays described above.
Fake Second Amendment supporters and politicians lacking integrity will try to blame all of this on the Wyoming Governor.
The Governor certainly deserves to be criticized for the veto, but everyone experienced in Wyoming Second Amendment issues knew a veto was likely.
The real story here is that Wyoming Senate leadership left the door open for the Governor to make this veto without threat of a Legislative Veto Override!
Fortunately, the original Criminal Protections we established in Wyoming law in 2022 remain in place despite this veto, but we have missed a great opportunity to add opportunities for Civil lawsuits.
Please click TAKE ACTION HERE, or in the graphic at the top, and contact the Governor and Senator Salazar and let them both know you understand how they worked together to undermine your Second Amendment Rights.
GOA will continue to fight for this legislation in the future, so please stay tuned for more information regarding how you can help strengthen Second Amendment Protections in Wyoming.
