Texas Bill Fights New Federal Gun Laws

Under a measure advancing in the Texas Capitol, local police officers could be convicted of a crime for enforcing any new federal gun control laws.

The Firearm Protection Act moved to the House Committee on Federalism on Tuesday.

Rep. Steve Toth, a newly elected Republican from the Woodlands, said the bill would protect officers who defy federal orders to confiscate assault-style rifles and magazines containing more than ten rounds of ammunition.

President Obama has proposed federal laws banning those kinds of weapons, but no such laws currently exist. Toth's proposal would create a Class A misdemeanor for enforcing any new federal gun regulations.

However under the federal supremacy clause, federal laws have authority over state laws, and it's not clear Toth's proposal is constitutional.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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