February 25, 2022 |
The Wyoming Senate passed on third reading a bill that strengthens the Second Amendment despite some of the staunchest supporters of gun rights in the legislature changing their votes from “aye” to “no” before final passage. One of them was the bill’s sponsor.
Senate File 102, Second Amendment Protection Act, passed 22-8.
Among those changing their votes was Senator Larry Hicks of Carbon County, who sponsored the legislation. During a news conference discussing earlier Thursday, Hicks gave his full support to the bill.
Pictured above: Senate District 11 Senator Larry Hicks. Photo courtesy of the Legislature of the State of Wyoming.
The Republican from the Little Snake River Valley said SF 102 is the culmination of months of collaborative work between members of the legislature, law enforcement and the Second Amendment group, Gun Owners of America. Sen. Hicks was surrounded by sheriffs and police chiefs from around Wyoming at the news conference. A couple hours later, Hicks was among the senators who surprisingly changed their votes.
Even with the last minute changes, SF 102 passed 22-8. Some of the senators who flipped their votes at the last second stood to explain their reasoning. Their statements indicated that the politics surrounding SF 102 and a similar bill that failed were strong and competitive. Senator Bo Biteman of Sheridan was the first ask for the floor privilege.
Senator Hicks voted “no” on Senate File 87. The official title of SF 87 was The Second Amendment Preservation Act. It was sponsored by Senator Anthony Bouchard of Cheyenne. Bouchard, who has built his political brand on gun rights, suggested SF 87 was sabotaged by misinformation.
Senator Hicks sponsored the competing bill, SF 102. His last minute “no” vote was likely tactical ploy to win an appointment to any conference committee if a watered down version of the bill passes the House. Hicks suggested as much when he stood to explain his flip to a “no”vote.
Hicks was the last of the senators to switch his vote. The switch may have been a calculated gambit to block any of the members who changed their votes from winning an appointment to a reconciliation committee if one is called. Senator Cale Case suggested as much.
Bigfoot 99 asked senator Hicks about his switched vote in an email but have not heard back yet.
The differences between SF 87 and 102 are significant in both style and substance.
Hick’s bill, SF 102, is much shorter and perhaps more tactical. It forbids the use of any state funds from being used to administer or cooperate with any unconstitutional act, law treaty, executive order, rule or regulation of the federal government that infringes on Second Amendment rights. It’s barely four pages long.
Bouchard’s bill, SF 87, is more philosophical. Weighing in at a beefy 17 pages, it goes into great detail about the separation of federal and state powers as granted under the U.S. Constitution. It resolves to aggressively support and defend gun rights in Wyoming, but does not address the practical matter of the appropriation of state funds in support on any federal infringements. It failed introduction last Friday by 11 votes.
SF 102 now goes to the House for consideration. The politics surrounding it will likely follow.
