HELENA, MONTANA — A 17-year-old in Montana is kicking off a ballot initiative that could give residents the ability to vote to give teachers in the state the right to carry firearms on the job.
The teen, Chet Billi, filed draft language for a proposed initiative for the 2016 ballot this week with the Montana Secretary of State.
He would like to see teachers be able to carry firearms, including on college campuses, while following the state’s concealed carry laws.
“I have an immense respect for firearms as well as a deep love for them,” he said.
Billi is bothered by what happens on the political level after a school shooting, saying; “The first thing the government seeks to do is take guns out of the hands of the very people who could have prevented the incident.”
The process is quite long for the measure to reach the ballot, but Billi is happy to have made the first steps to making it a reality.
The ballot language was sent to the Montana Secretary of State, which has already sent it to the Legislative Services Division on Tuesday.
Legislative Services can make recommendations for revisions within 14 days. Ultimately the ballot language will require the approval of Secretary of State Linda McCulloch (a Democrat) and Attorney General Tim Fox (a Republican), all before signature-gathering can begin.
The next step would be for Billi to collect signatures in support of the initiative. Here’s to Billi, and others like him, for taking the time to try and make a difference for gun owners not only across the state of Montana, but the Country.
