Governor Mead says he has concerns with a bill pending in the Wyoming Legislature that would seek to exempt the state from any new federal ban on assault weapons.

Mead, a Republican and former federal prosecutor, told reporters Tuesday that he’s a gun owner himself and owns some of the firearms that could be banned.
Mead also emphasized that Wyoming gun owners are law-abiding and responsible.

The bill has cleared the Wyoming House and is pending in the state Senate. It would seek to exempt the state from any new federal ban on assault weapons or high-capacity magazines. It also would make it a misdemeanor for federal officials to seek to enforce them.

Mead says if he signs the bill, it might send the wrong message to Washington.

Critics say the bill would be unconstitutional because states are bound by federal law.