Gun control preemption laws establish statewide gun control policies and prevent local governments from enacting more restrictive ordinances. These laws are usually retroactive and strike down existing laws.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) says preemption laws safeguard the rights of hunters and sportsmen who might unwittingly break the laws ofnearby jurisdictions. Rather than subject gun owners to a patchwork oflocal ordinances, preemption establishes a unified policy, advocates say.

The NRA places a high priority on preemption, intensely lobbying state legislatures to enact broad preemption laws as a way to avoid fighting multiple and potentially restrictive local ordinances. Thirty nine states have passed preemption laws.

Critics claim that preemption laws prevent local law enforcement from addressing specific needs of local communities, pointing to the different problems of rural and urban areas. Lobbyists can more easily influence state legislators than town council members, who are more responsive to their local constituents' concerns, they say.

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