Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen talked to Breitbart News at SHOT Show 2023 about his state’s posture against “woke banks” which discriminate against the gun industry yet want to be part of state business.
There is an ongoing problem with banks and other financial institutions who refuse to do provide financial services to legal gun makers and dealers and/or legal ammo makers and dealers, yet want to be sign contracts for state infrastructure projects, etc.
Knudsen referred to such banks as “woke banks” and made clear the state of Montana is not interested in doing business with them.
He said, “There is legislation moving in Montana right now. I’ve been working with the National Shooting Sports Foundation on it and Montana’s legislature is in session. We’re looking at a Texas model bill that just says flat out, if you want to be a woke bank that discriminates against gun companies you’re not going to do business with the state of Montana, with our retirement system, or with our investment system.”
Knudsen talked to Breitbart about other Second Amendment news in Montana, noting that constitutional carry and campus carry were both passed in 2021 but the latter, campus carry, was stifled by the state board of regent interference.
He said the board of regents claimed its power to regulate campus carry exceeds that of the Montana legislature. The board filed suit and got an injunction blocking the campus carry law and now the future of campus carry rests with the Montana Supreme Court.
Knudsen said, “The case over campus carry is literally before the Montana Supreme Court now and the board of regents is literally arguing that they are a fourth branch of government; that they have the power to restrict any of the Bill of Rights on university campuses.”
He added, “My argument is, if the board of regents can restrict rights protected by the Second Amendment, what’s to stop them from restricting rights protected by the First Amendment or the Fourth Amendment? Where does this end?”
Knudsen said, “This is shaping up to be novel case in Montana and it’s going to make our state Supreme Court very uncomfortable because our state Supreme Court is incredibly liberal.”
He concluded, “The courts in Montana are literally the liberals’ last bastion. Republicans hold the executive, both chambers of the legislature, and the trial lawyers are still holding on, by their fingernails, to the judiciary.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. AWR Hawkins holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.