‘Wyoming is not a stooge’: Gov. Gordon vetoes Second Amendment Protection Act amendments

CASPER, Wyo. — Gov. Gordon recently signed a letter vetoing Senate File 196 – Second Amendment Protection Act – amendments.

That’s according to a release from the governor’s office, which states that, in a public ceremony featuring members of the county, state and municipal law enforcement, Gordon signed the letter, calling the bill “overkill” that would punish first responders and threaten cooperative work between Wyoming and federal law enforcement.

Senate File 196, according to the Wyoming Legislature website, is “an act relating to the protection of constitutional rights; amending the Second Amendment Protection Act as specified; creating exceptions to the Second Amendment Protection Act; creating a civil penalty; creating a criminal penalty; creating an exception to the Wyoming Governmental Claims Act; providing definitions; making conforming amendments; and providing for an effective date.”

In the letter, Gov. Gordon wrote that “this Act takes aim at — and potentially vilifies — law enforcement if, in the process of working to apprehend, prosecute, and detain illegal aliens, drug mules, human traffickers, abusers, and other miscreants, they cooperate with the federal government and a gun is involved. Wyoming can do better.”

The bill can be read in full here.

The governor’s letter was addressed to Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray, and in it Gordon compared the bill to the “Defund the Police” movement.

“I never expected Wyoming’s Legislature would ratify an idea undermining law enforcement,” Gordon wrote. “To think our great state would take up a notion kindred to the ‘Defund the Police’ efforts we have seen elsewhere in the country comes as a shock. This Act has less to do with protecting our sacred Second Amendment Rights, than it has to do with making law enforcement personnel in this state second guess nearly every action they take for fear of legal reprisal.”

Gordon wrote that the bill was overkill, and noted that he signed similar legislation in 2022.

“Wyoming people know, respect, and protect our second amendment rights,” Governor wrote. “We don’t need some out-of-state lobbyist to tell us how precious they are. We are passionate about our gun rights and our support for law enforcement, veterans, and others willing to serve our nation and our state. We shouldn’t need to pass boilerplates created in far-flung states that seek to fix problems we haven’t seen in Wyoming. Wyoming is not a stooge, and should not be willing to become one either.”

Gov. Gordon’s letter to Gray can be read in its entirety here.

Gov. Gordon signed nine other bills as well, including legislation banning sanctuary cities in Wyoming, prohibiting the use of private funds for elections and prohibiting ranked-choice voting.