State legislatures in the US are considering more than 200 bills – from gun rights to marijuana accessibility – that would nullify or work around various federal laws and regulations crafted in Washington, according to a states’ rights advocacy group.
The Tenth Amendment Center told The Hill the 200-plus pieces of current legislation seeking to challenge or wrest control from the federal government mark a climate of both suspicion and empowerment. The center tracks and supports states’ rights initiatives across the country.
“People are becoming more and more concerned about the overreach of the federal government,” said the group’s spokesman, Mike Maharrey. “They feel the federal government is trying to do too much, it’s too big and it’s getting more and more in debt.”
While federal law ultimately supersedes state law – if enforcement power is exercised – the Tenth Amendment, part of the Bill of Rights, says that the federal government is limited to powers granted in the US Constitution.
For instance, a bill that would “block any future federal bans on firearms or magazines” passed the Montana state House on Monday. Montana’s bill is one of eleven nationwide, according to the center, that aim to counter federal gun control measures.
Twelve states are seeking to challenge federal surveillance authority vested in the likes of the National Security Agency, revealed in June 2013 to be operating a global spying regime to advance American domestic and foreign policy goals.
In another 12 states, bills have been introduced to legalize some form of marijuana, whether it be medical, recreational, or both.
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http://rt.com/usa/231051-nullification-states-rights-regulations/
