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Standing Up for Law Abiding Wyoming Gun Owners

In April of 2018, Michael Cargill of Texas bought two bump stocks for the same reason people across Wyoming purchase firearms every day – to protect himself, his family and his property.

Days later the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) issued a ban on bump stocks under the National Firearms Act. It is not only an egregious violation of the people of Wyoming’s right to bear arms, but also represents a dangerous new frontier of federal bureaucrats interpreting federal law in expansive ways Congress clearly did not intend.

Federal agencies, like the ATF, do not make laws. Their sole job is to interpret existing laws passed by Congress, not grant itself sweeping authority to confiscate firearms from law-abiding Wyoming gun owners as is the case with the bump stock ban.

Luckily, Michael Cargill fought back against the ATF. The very same day he turned in his bump stocks to comply with federal law, he filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Texas challenging the ban on numerous grounds.

While the district court and a three-judge appeals court panel of the Fifth Circuit sided with the ATF, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed the lower court’s decision and found the ban to be unconstitutional.

The Biden administration appealed the ruling and the case is now being heard before the Supreme Court.

I am leading an amici curiae brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case alongside 8 other U.S. Senators and multiple legal experts, including University of Wyoming Law Professor George A. Mocsary. The brief urges the court to side with Cargill and preserve the people of Wyoming’s right to bear arms.

Garland v. Cargill represents a true fork-in-the-road moment for gun rights in America. The people of Wyoming have a long history of responsible gun ownership, and I will not allow gun grabbers in Washington to change that.

Happy Trails,

Senator Lummis' Week in Pictures

I always enjoy seeing Keith Kennedy of the Wyoming Wheat Growers. This week, he stopped by the office to discuss what Congress should include in the upcoming Farm Bill to help farmers and ranchers.

I had a great time at the National Stock Show for Wyoming Day.

I got to speak with the terrific Laramie County Community College livestock team and watched them compete in the Open Prospect Heifer Show.

I had the pleasure of supporting Judge Kelly Rankin's nomination to be U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Wyoming during a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

While Judge Rankin has a wealth of experience in the law and in the administration of justice, it is his judicial temperament and character that are most impressive to me. A judge must be quick to listen, slow to speak and have an innate drive to understand all sides of an issue. Through all of the opportunities I’ve had to interact with Judge Rankin over the years, I have found that he is a fine exemplar of all of these qualities.

After the hearing, Judge Rankin brought his family by my office to celebrate his big day.

WORKING IN WASHINGTON

Legislative Actions:

I joined U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) in sending a letter to U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman calling for the withdrawal of the Biden Administration’s proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for passenger cars and light-duty trucks that would effectively mandate the mass production of electric vehicles (EVs) and phase out gas-powered cars and trucks.
- People in Wyoming cannot depend on electric vehicles not only because the infrastructure is not in place, but because the batteries cannot sustain the cold temperatures in Wyoming during the winter.

Committee Hearings:

During a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing I raised serious concerns that the Environmental Protection Agency’s push to ban polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) will have a tremendous impact not only on domestic manufacturing but also on our country’s national security. The Department of Defense is reliant on commercial manufacturing using PFAS to produce weapons and supplies that are critical to maintaining national security. It would be foolish to cut the cord on PFAS without having a backup plan. Click here to watch my full remarks.

WORKING IN WYOMING

Working for Wyoming:

An open border is a choice, and the Biden administration is shamefully choosing to put America last. Since President Biden entered office more than 8.8 million illegal aliens have poured into our country, around 17 times the population of Wyoming.

The Biden administration is entitled to its own opinions on what good border security looks like, but it is not entitled to making up its own facts. The fact of the matter is these 8.8 million illegal aliens and the millions more who were already in our country before Biden's presidency began are not American citizens and they should not be counted in the U.S. Census. Beyond apportioning congressional districts, population data from the census plays a pivotal role in determining how federal funds are dispersed.

Wyoming communities already struggle to access federal funds and rewarding larger sanctuary states like New York—which already has 26 House seats— for unlawfully harboring illegal aliens will only exacerbate current federal funding disparities at the expense of the hardworking people of Wyoming. We cannot allow these states to pad their population numbers due to their radical immigration policies, which is why I joined U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) in introducing the Equal Representation Act that seeks to put a citizenship question on the census to lessen the rural-urban divide and protect Wyoming from further harm.

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES FOR WYOMING

Traveling across Wyoming in the winter months can be a hazardous journey. While much of that has to do with weather, highway travel across our state can be improved with infrastructure upgrades and improving the upkeep of our roads. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has made $3 billion available for the Safe Streets and Roads for All Program to fund grants for regional, local and tribal initiatives to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.

$813 million was made available on December 13, 2023, but the next round of funding will open in February 2024. To learn more about the program and to see if you qualify, click here.

WYOMING SHOUT OUT

Delane Skinner has spent half a century fighting fires. Skinner began his career as a firefighter with the Thayne Fire Department in 1979 when he served as fire chief. Throughout his career he has held many other important roles, including training officer.

Current Thayne Fire Chief Tedd Jenkins remarked on Skinner's incredible tenure, “I am not sure if this has been done before in the state of Wyoming but I can say it hasn’t been done many times!"

Skinner was honored this week at the Thayne Fire Department's annual awards banquet with a special plaque commemorating his 50 years of service. Delane, thank you for keeping us safe in Star Valley all these years!

Photo courtesy of SVI news.

OFFICE LOCATIONS

Cody

1285 Sheridan Avenue, Suite 215
Cody, WY 82414
Phone: 307-527-9444

Cheyenne

Federal Center
2120 Capitol Avenue, Suite 2007
Cheyenne, WY 82001
Phone: 307-772-2477

Casper

Dick Cheney Federal Bldg.
100 East B Street, Suite 3201
PO Box 33201
Casper, WY 82601
Phone: 307-261-6572

Sundance

120 North 4th Street (769)
P.O. Box 769
Sundance, WY 82729
Phone: 307-283-3461

Star Valley

80 1st Street
Suite 105
P.O. Box 1630
Afton, WY 83110
Phone: 307-248-1736

Washington, DC

Russell Senate Office Building
Room SR 127A
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-3424