Alabama State Rep Mike Ball is proposing a law to protect firearms made and sold in Alabama from federal restrictions.

The article quotes Ball as saying:

“If a gun is manufactured in Alabama and it’s sold in Alabama, if there’s no interstate transaction, then why should the federal government be regulating it.”

The bill apparently attempts to short-circuit the Federal government’s view that the the Commerce Clause in the Constitution gives it jurisdiction over all human activity.  This position has repeatedly been tested in court and upheld, so it is doubtful the Alabama law would stand up to challenge by the federal government.

But, if you’re familiar with the work of Tom Woods regarding nulification, you’re probably aware that such a law might prevent state and local law enforcement officers from participating in the enforcement of the federal law.  The federal government has limited police resources and relies heavily on state cooperation.  If enough states climb on the nullification bandwagon, the federal government would probably not be able to effectively enforce the law.  We may soon see this in action as more states follow the lead of Washington and Colorado in legalizing recreational pot use.

And yes, this is the same Mike Ball I wrote about yesterday who introduced the ill-considered bill further restricting where sex offenders can live.