Wednesday, after an overwhelming show of support, the North Dakota Senate passed Senate Bill 2274 unanimously. SB 2274 will likely be assigned to the House Judiciary Committee after crossover in early March.
This NRA-backed “shall sign” legislation, sponsored by Senator Kelly Armstrong (R-36), would require that a chief law enforcement officer (CLEO) sign an application for the acquisition or transfer of any item regulated under the National Firearms Act (NFA), including short barreled rifles/shotguns and suppressors, within 30 days, so long as the applicant is not prohibited by law from receiving it.
SB 2274 would impose reasonable deadlines and ensure that individuals who are lawfully seeking to transfer an NFA item are able to do so in an expeditious manner. Some CLEOs simply refuse to sign such forms, and nothing in current law prohibits this, even if the applicant’s receipt of the NFA item would not be contrary to law and the CLEO has no information that the applicant intends to use the NFA item for an unlawful purpose. SB 2274 will prevent an arbitrary personal bias from determining North Dakota firearm policy and ensure that qualified, law-abiding North Dakotans will not be denied their ability to legally own NFA items. The reforms in SB 2274 benefit law-abiding Second Amendment supporters by ensuring that the process to obtain NFA items already legal in North Dakota remains consistent, fact-based and objective.
Your NRA-ILA will keep you updated as to when SB 2274 is scheduled for a hearing. In the meantime, keep your eye on www.NRAILA.org and your email inbox for updates on legislation that affects your Right to Keep and Bear Arms in North Dakota.