Legislature to take on social issues

The Wyoming Legislature will take on just about every possible hot-button social issue this week, hearing bills on guns, abortion and same-sex marriage.

House Speaker Tom Lubnau, a Republican from Gillette, says he's scheduled all the contentious social issue bills for hearings this week to save money on security.

Lubnau says the Legislature always increases its security when lawmakers consider gun and abortion issues because of the large crowds that typically turn out.

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Among the bills set for hearings in House committees this week is a measure that would specify that Wyoming would be exempt from any federal action to ban assault rifles or high-capacity magazines. The bill also would specify that federal agents who tried to enforce any ban would be subject to state felony charges.