Amid the swirl of accusations after federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti last weekend in Minnesota, some federal officials focused on the fact that Pretti carried a firearm to a public demonstration, something that often happens in Montana and is legal here.

FBI Director Kash Patel said on Fox News that “you cannot bring a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want.” The comment seemed to suggest additional limits on when and how someone can carry a firearm.

Similar comments prompted the National Rifle Association to push back against officials who criticized Pretti’s decision to carry a gun.

Minnesota requires a permit to carry a firearm in public. Pretti had that permit, according to local officials.

In Montana, it’s legal to bring a firearm to a protest — concealed or not. Montana is one of 29 states with so-called “constitutional carry” laws, meaning gun owners are allowed to have concealed firearms without a permit, with few exceptions.

That became law in 2021 after the Montana Legislature passed a constitutional carry bill.

“Our Second Amendment is very clear: The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,” Gov. Greg Gianforte said at the 2021 bill signing. “Every law-abiding Montanan should be able to defend themselves and their loved ones.”

Article II of the Montana Constitution also outlines the “right to bear arms” for citizens.

Montanans can’t tote their guns anywhere, however. Exceptions in state law say that residents can’t bring guns into correctional or state-run treatment facilities. Guns can’t be brought through airport security checkpoints or onto military bases. County and federal courthouses and other buildings “owned and occupied by the United States” are also off limits.

Federal laws prohibit guns on school grounds. One of those laws, the Gun-Free School Zones Act, generally prohibits guns from areas within 1,000 feet of schools. But last fall, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit dismissed the indictment of a Billings man who was repeatedly seen in front of his home holding a shotgun. He lived across the street from an elementary school and was within the 1,000-foot zone.

The court’s decision was made in part because of Montana’s “unique” gun licensing law, which imposes fewer hurdles than those in other states.

Montana’s public colleges and universities generally don’t allow people to carry firearms on campus except with some narrow exceptions for law enforcement. The ability to regulate gun possession on campus rests with the Board of Regents, which challenged the applicability of constitutional carry and won a favorable Montana Supreme Court decision in 2022.

Local jurisdictions, like cities and counties, are prohibited by state law from passing stricter gun regulations except for where guns can be fired.

Private property owners, including businesses, can prohibit people from carrying guns.

For that and other reasons, Montana Shooting Sports Association President Gary Marbut told Montana Free Press that the state is No. 1 in protecting the rights of gun owners. He said his organization has shepherded 73 bills through the state Legislature to secure those rights.

“Because of that success, Montana is generally held nationally by experts who know about it as having the best gun laws in the United States,” he said.

Although Montanans can conceal carry without a permit, they can still obtain such a permit. The top reason for that is to undergo a background check at the time of permit application to avoid going through that when buying a gun, according to Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter.

“That [background check] goes on their concealed weapons permit,” Slaughter said. “So when you go into a store to buy a gun, you’re not delayed.”

In addition, permit holders can carry guns into state government buildings, according to the Montana Department of Justice. A website for the Montana Legislature says that weapons, including firearms, aren’t allowed in the Capitol building.

Montana permits are also recognized in some other states, and for others, it’s a part of the culture of gun ownership.

“Some people just want to be seen as a sheriff-certified good guy for a variety of reasons, including for any interaction with law enforcement,” Marbut said.

Marbut declined to comment specifically on Pretti’s killing. He called Patel’s comments part of an “East Coast mentality” that ignores the prevalence of gun ownership in other places like Montana.

Slaughter also declined to comment on Pretti, saying that a fuller investigation is necessary before making a judgment.

The post What does Montana law say about carrying a concealed firearm? appeared first on Montana Free Press.

Michael Brown, the man authorities suspect of fatally shooting four people at The Owl Bar in Anaconda on Aug. 1, was apprehended Friday, according to the state Department of Justice.

“It’s a good day. We got our man. Michael Paul Brown is in custody. He was arrested today, one week later, [at] approximately 2 p.m. this afternoon,” said Attorney General Austin Knudsen at a 5:30 p.m. press conference outside the courthouse in Anaconda. “… He was apprehended just west of Anaconda near the Ranch Bar just south of Highway 1.”

Authorities believe Brown, 45, killed four people a week ago in the small town of Anaconda with a rifle that police believe was his personal weapon. A female bartender and three male patrons died. They have been identified as Nancy Lauretta Kelley, 64; Daniel Edwin Baillie, 59; David Allen Leach, 70; and Tony Wayne Palm, 74.

The search lasted seven days and included more than 250 personnel from 39 county, state and federal teams. Knudsen said Friday that he believed a 130-person sweep of a nearby hill the day prior forced Brown into an area law enforcement had already searched. At a Tuesday press conference, Montana’s top officials described the search as the highest priority in the state.

“It’s not some place he’d been hiding; he was flushed out,” Knudsen said.

Brown was in good physical condition and was “technically armed” when he was caught, Knudsen said, declining to elaborate further because of the ongoing homicide investigation. Brown has received medical care since his apprehension and is being held at the Butte-Silver Bow Detention Center. Knudsen specifically thanked the U.S. Marshals Service and Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.

Immediately after the shooting, authorities believe Brown left the bar for his home next door before moving to another hiding place inside a structure down the street. A photo showing Brown wearing only underwear was taken as he left that structure, moments before authorities believe he stole a truck stocked with clothes, shoes and camping supplies.

Law enforcement was unable to apprehend Brown when he fled despite police immediately identifying him inside the vehicle. 

“The trick became an almost identical vehicle pulled into the highway in front of him. And so law enforcement wasn’t sure which white F-150 he was in,” Knudsen said at the Friday press conference. Authorities said tips from the public helped in the search, but did not provide specifics on how. 

Gov. Greg Gianforte also celebrated the outcome in Anaconda on Friday. 

“[Law enforcement] responded to every call. They followed up on every tip. They spent hours climbing over these mountains looking for this criminal,” Gianforte said.

At the same press conference, Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Attorney Morgan Smith said that “the manhunt has come to an end, but the homicide investigation remains ongoing.” The prosecution and investigation will be predominantly handled by Montana DCI and Anaconda-Deer Lodge police. Smith did not provide further details, including the anticipated timeline for when Brown would be charged or have an initial appearance in court, “to ensure the fairness and integrity of the case as it moves forward.” 

Brown’s niece, Clare Boyle, told the Associated Press in a recent interview that her uncle has struggled with mental illness for years and that she and other family members repeatedly sought help. The AP reported that family members had requested welfare checkups when they believed Brown was becoming a danger to himself. Brown was an avid hunter and kept guns at home. He served in the Army as an armor crewman from 2001 to 2005 and deployed to Iraq from early 2004 until March 2005. He also was in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to 2009.

Boyle told AP that Brown would tell authorities he was fine. The Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Law Enforcement Department did not respond this week to several email and phone messages from the AP requesting records of the welfare checks Boyle said they helped conduct on Brown in the years leading up to the shooting.

Asked Friday at the press conference to comment on whether local law enforcement heeded the family’s request for mental health check-ins, Knudsen offered a one-word answer.

“No.”

The AP reported it was not immediately clear if Brown had legal representation. 

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

The post Man suspected of killing four at Anaconda bar is caught by law enforcement  appeared first on Montana Free Press.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte on Tuesday signed an executive order freeing up more resources for local law enforcement as they searched a mountainous area for a former U.S. soldier suspected of killing four people at a bar last week.

The search for Michael Paul Brown stretched into its fifth day with more than three dozen law enforcement agencies helping with an effort that Montana’s top officials described during a news conference as the highest priority in the state.

A team with the Montana National Guard has flown nearly 20 hours since last Friday, looking for any clues for Brown’s whereabouts as an undisclosed number of officers searched on foot.

“Rest assured, our brave men and women of law enforcement aren’t giving up, and I ask that you not give up on them either,” Gianforte said.

Authorities say Brown, 45, fatally shot four people last Friday at The Owl Bar in the small town of Anaconda with a rifle that police believe was his personal weapon. He fled in a white pickup that he later ditched and stole another white vehicle stocked with clothes, shoes and camping supplies.

A female bartender and three male patrons were killed. They have been identified as Nancy Lauretta Kelley, 64; Daniel Edwin Baillie, 59; David Allen Leach, 70; and Tony Wayne Palm, 74.

The shooting rattled the tight-knit town of about 9,000 people, and many residents remain on high alert with the suspect still at large.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen reiterated Tuesday that authorities are operating under the assumption that Brown is armed and extremely dangerous.

Without providing more details, Knudsen said there’s evidence that authorities are searching in the right area. About 22 square miles (57 square kilometers) of forest southwest of Anaconda have been closed to the public by the National Forest System as the search continues. Knudsen added that it does not appear that Brown has broken into any cabins or homes in the area to get food or additional supplies.

Knudsen and investigators declined to share the number of law enforcement personnel active in the search Tuesday. Canine detection units and drones equipped with heat-detection technology were also being used in the search, they said.

Federal authorities were offering a reward of up to $10,000 for any information leading to Brown’s capture.

Family members have said Brown has struggled with mental illness for years, and they had sought help for him.

Brown, who lived next door to The Owl Bar, served in the Army as an armor crewman from 2001 to 2005 and deployed to Iraq from early 2004 until March 2005. He also was in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to 2009.

The post Search for the bar shooter who killed four is Montana’s highest priority, officials say appeared first on Montana Free Press.

The search for a former U.S. soldier suspected of killing four people at a bar in Montana stretched into a fourth day Monday, with deputies scouring the mountainous terrain by foot and air after the man escaped in a stolen vehicle containing camping gear.

Authorities say Michael Paul Brown, 45, fatally shot four people Friday morning at The Owl Bar in the small town of Anaconda with a rifle that police believe was his personal weapon. He fled in a white pickup that he later ditched and stole another white vehicle stocked with clothes, shoes and other supplies.

A female bartender and three male patrons were killed. The shooting rattled the tight-knit town of about 9,000 people, and many residents remain on high alert with the suspect still at large.

Here’s what is known about the search.

Law enforcement officers from across the state have been brought in to assist with the search for Brown, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said. Search teams include multiple local, state and federal agencies and are surveying the area both on the ground and by air. Helicopters whirred overhead as Anaconda residents adjusted to daily life after the shooting.

The effort initially concentrated on an area off Stumptown Road, west of Anaconda. By Saturday, they had expanded the search to the Barker Lakes area and had more than 250 people searching, plus canine detection units and drones using heat-detection technology, authorities said.

Knudsen said investigators are now searching all possible options for Brown’s whereabouts, including the woods where he hunted and camped in his youth. About 22 square miles of forest southwest of Anaconda have been closed to the public by the National Forest System as the manhunt carries on, District Ranger Cameron Rasor said Monday.

Business owners locked their doors Friday and sheltered inside with customers. A lockdown of the Stumptown Road area was lifted on Saturday, but many local businesses were slow to reopen.

On Monday, the U.S. Marshals Service announced a tip line and a reward of up to $10,000 for any information leading to Brown’s capture. They said he is believed to be armed and dangerous.

The victims were identified on Sunday as bartender Nancy Lauretta Kelley, 64, and patrons Daniel Edwin Baillie, 59, David Allen Leach, 70, and Tony Wayne Palm, 74.

All four were residents of Anaconda, which is situated between rugged mountains about 25 miles northwest of Butte.

Robert Wyatt, 70, said he was neighbors with Leach at a public housing complex for elderly people and people with disabilities. Leach was deaf and kept mostly to himself, Wyatt said, but he was always happy to help his neighbors.

In a town where “everybody knows everybody,” the entire community is hurting, said resident David Jabarek, 70.

Brown served in the Army as an armor crewman from 2001 to 2005 and deployed to Iraq from early 2004 until March 2005, said Lt. Col. Ruth Castro, an Army spokesperson. Brown was in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to March 2009 and left military service at the rank of sergeant, Castro said.

Brown lived next door to The Owl Bar, according to owner David Gwerder, who was not present during the shooting Friday morning. It was widely believed that Brown knew at least some of the victims.

In a photo released by law enforcement, Brown appears gaunt, barefoot and wearing nothing but black boxer briefs.

Brown’s niece, Clare Boyle, told The Associated Press that her uncle has struggled with mental illness for years, and she and other family members repeatedly sought help for him.

The post Search continues for former U.S. soldier suspected of killing 4 at Anaconda bar  appeared first on Montana Free Press.

Kyle White thought the noises outside his downtown Anaconda home last Friday morning were the sounds of routine construction. Then his police scanner started crackling. 

“In two or three minutes, there were calls going out, and [police] were here just like that,” White told Montana Free Press at his house Sunday. 

White lives a few doors down from The Owl Bar, where law enforcement says longtime Anaconda resident Michael Brown opened fire around 10:30 a.m. Friday, killing bartender Nancy Lauretta Kelley, 64, and patrons Tony Wayne Palm, 74, David Allen Leach, 70, and Daniel Edwin Baillie, 59.

Mary Jane Rangitsch, who has lived in Anaconda for 33 years, watched the police swarm the scene from her window opposite the bar. Brown, though, sped away in a stolen white Ford-150 pickup truck and remained at large Monday morning. Authorities later discovered the abandoned vehicle. 

With Brown still not in custody and believed to be armed, Rangitsch said she felt “just a little unsettled. But I don’t feel fearful at all.” 

“The neighborhood is wonderful, and I raised my family here,” she said.

Dave Gwerder, owner of the Owl, spent Sunday afternoon at the bar. He wore a chest holster that held a 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun. Anacondans stopped by to offer Gwerder condolences and support. Flowers and cards piled up in front of the bar’s front entrance.  

“It’s gonna be a long healing process for a lot of people,” Gwerder said.

Gwerder said Brown lived adjacent to the Owl and frequented the bar. The motivation for the shooting remains unclear, although residents said Brown struggled with mental illness after returning from his service in the U.S. military.

“Nobody knows why, including me. As far as I know, everybody got along with him,” Gwerder said. 

According to Anacondans who knew him, Brown is familiar with the wilderness northwest of Anaconda, and they suspect that’s where he may be hiding out.  

Lane “Shorty” Ruegamer, a regular at the Owl, said he doubted Brown would attempt a return to Anaconda.

“He knows that every person down at the bottom of that hill has guns, and there’s no doubt in my mind that every person does,” Ruegamer said. 

As law enforcement in tactical gear searched an area near Stumptown Road where they believed Brown might be Sunday, about 30 community members gathered for a vigil in downtown Anaconda’s Kennedy Commons. Pentecostal preacher Ted Cox led a prayer for the victims and for Brown.

“God bless, strengthen and comfort the families of the deceased. And also even the family of Michael,” Cox said. 

Similarly, Rev. Dougald McCallum dedicated his Sunday Mass at Anaconda’s Holy Family Church to those involved in the tragedy, encouraging parishioners to approach the tragedy “from the vantage point of mercy.”

“There’s a lot of mental illness in the world,” McCallum said. “And the more you live, the more you realize how much there is.” 

JFK Bar, one of the four within two blocks of the Owl, had been busy since the Friday morning shooting. A shuffleboard, pool table, small casino, countertop and a few long tables make up the inside of the corner bar. On Friday evening, the crowded bar fell quiet during the evening news about the tragedy next door. 

Jill Rowles, a teacher and JFK bartender, was a good friend of Kelley since they met at the Owl several years ago. Kelley previously worked as a cancer nurse and later became a bartender like her parents, who had owned a local bar called The Mill. 

Kelley taught Rowles how to play cribbage on a trip to Salmon, Idaho. Away from home and unable to locate any dice for the game, Kelley fashioned some out of Whiteclaw boxes and rocks.

“That will be my most memorable moment with Nancy,” Rowles said.

Other JFK bartenders and patrons shared stories about the deceased throughout the weekend. A block away from the Owl, which remains closed, JFK became a space for remembering, reflecting and reliving.

“We’re going to do things and raise money for people,” said Anacondan Randy Josephson while at JFK. 

“This community will come together, and we’ll take care of each other. We’ll pull together — every one of us — over this situation.”

The post Anaconda searches for words and ways to process shooting that left four of its residents dead appeared first on Montana Free Press.

UPDATED AT 12:58 P.M., AUG. 3: The former U.S. soldier suspected of killing four people at a Montana bar was still at large early Sunday and may be armed after escaping in a stolen vehicle containing clothes and camping gear, officials said.

Authorities believe 45-year-old Michael Paul Brown killed four people on Friday morning at The Owl Bar in Anaconda.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said at a press conference Sunday that Brown committed the shooting with a rifle that law enforcement believes was his personal weapon.

The victims ranged in age from 59 to 74 and were a female bartender and three male patrons: 59-year-old Daniel Edwin Baillie, 64-year-old Nancy Lauretta Kelley, 70-year-old David Allen Leach, and 74-year-old Tony Wayne Palm. All four were residents of Anaconda.

Knudsen warned residents in the town of just over 9,000 people that Brown, who lived next door to the bar where he was a regular, could come back to the area.

“This is an unstable individual who walked in and murdered four people in cold blood for no reason whatsoever. So there absolutely is concern for the public,” Knudsen said.

Numerous public events were canceled over the weekend as the search entered its third day, according to local Facebook pages.

Investigators are considering all possible options for Brown’s whereabouts, the attorney general said. That includes searching the woods where Brown hunted and camped while he was a kid. But Knudsen noted that, during peak tourist season in western Montana, some law enforcement officials would have to return to their local jurisdictions for their regular responsibilities.

Brown served in the Army as an armor crewman from 2001 to 2005 and deployed to Iraq from early 2004 until March 2005, according to Lt. Col. Ruth Castro, an Army spokesperson. Brown was in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to March 2009, Castro said, and left military service at the rank of sergeant.

Brown’s niece, Clare Boyle, told the AP her uncle has struggled with mental illness for years and she and other family members repeatedly sought help.

“This isn’t just a drunk/high man going wild,” she said in a Facebook message. “It’s a sick man who doesn’t know who he is sometimes and frequently doesn’t know where or when he is either.”

Knudsen said on Sunday that Brown was “known” to local law enforcement before the shooting. It was widely believed that he knew at least some of the victims, given how close he lived to the bar.

Law enforcement released a photograph of Brown from surveillance footage taken shortly after the fatal shootings. He appeared to be barefoot and in minimal clothing.

But law enforcement now believes Brown ditched the vehicle he escaped in and stole a different one that had camping gear, shoes and clothes in it — leaving open the possibility that Brown is now clothed.

The last time that law enforcement saw Brown was on Friday afternoon, but there was “some confusion” because there were multiple white vehicles involved, Knudsen said.

There is a $7,500 reward for any information that leads to Brown’s capture.

“This is still Montana. Montanans know how to take care of themselves. But please, if you have any sightings, call 911,” Knudsen said.

UPDATED AT 12:30 P.M., AUG. 2: Authorities were scouring a mountainous area west of Anaconda on Saturday for a military veteran who they say opened fire at a bar, killing four people.

On Saturday, authorities released a photo of the suspect, barefoot and shirtless, walking down what appeared to be a flight of outdoor concrete steps. The photo showed Brown, wearing black shorts, fleeing after the shooting Friday, according to the Division of Criminal Investigation.

Four people are dead after a shooter opened fire at Anaconda’s Owl Bar at approximately 10:30 a.m. Friday. Law enforcement officers were still searching for the suspect, Michael Paul Brown, late into Friday night.

“As of ten o’clock tonight Brown remains at large. Law enforcement has located the white Ford F-150 that Brown fled the scene in. However, Brown was not located in or around the vehicle. Authorities are now focusing their search on the mountains near Stumptown Road just west of Anaconda,” Division of Criminal Investigation Administrator Lee Johnson said in a release just after 10 p.m.

Brown, 45, lived next door to the site of the shooting, according to public records and bar owner David Gwerder.

The bartender and three patrons were killed, said Gwerder, who was not there at the time. He believed the four victims were the only ones present during the shooting, and was not aware of any prior conflicts between them and Brown.

“He knew everybody that was in that bar. I guarantee you that,” Gwerder said. “He didn’t have any running dispute with any of them. I just think he snapped.”

Brown’s home was cleared by a SWAT team and he was last seen in the Stump Town area, just west of Anaconda, authorities said.

More than a dozen officers from local and state police converged on that area, locking it down so no one was allowed in or out. A helicopter also hovered over a nearby mountainside as officers moved among the trees, said Randy Clark, a retired police officer who lives there.

Brown was believed to be armed, the Montana Highway Patrol said in a statement.

At a 10 p.m. press conference Friday in front of the bar, Johnson urged Anaconda residents to be cautious.

“While law enforcement has not received reports of Brown harming any other individuals, he is believed to be armed, and he is extremely dangerous. Residents in the area have been notified and are encouraged to stay inside their homes and on high alert,” Johnson said in a statement.

Johnson did not name the people killed at the bar.

“We have identified all four victims in today’s tragedy but will not release their names until all family members have been notified and the time is appropriate,” he said.

Brown served in the U.S. Army as an armor crewman from 2001 to 2005 and deployed to Iraq from early 2004 until March 2005, according to Lt. Col. Ruth Castro, an Army spokesperson. Brown was in the Montana National Guard from 2006 to March 2009, Castro said. He left military service in the rank of sergeant.

His niece, Clare Boyle, told the AP on Friday that her uncle has been mentally sick for years and that she and other family members have tried repeatedly to seek help.

“This isn’t just a drunk/high man going wild,” she wrote in a Facebook message. “It’s a sick man who doesn’t know who he is sometimes and frequently doesn’t know where or when he is either.”

As reports of the shooting spread through town, business owners locked their doors and sheltered inside with customers.

The owner of the Firefly Café in Anaconda said she locked up her business at about 11 a.m. Friday after getting alerted to the shooting by a friend. Two hours later, she was still waiting for an all clear before reopening.

“We are Montana, so guns are not new to us. For our town to be locked down, everybody’s pretty rattled,” café owner Barbie Nelson said.

“It’s a small town, so we all probably know someone who was there” at the shooting. she added.

In a 1:20 p.m. Friday post on X, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said that its Denver office is “responding to a shooting where multiple parties have been shot at a business in Anaconda.”

Also in a post on X, made at 1:14 p.m. Friday, Gov. Greg Gianforte said: “I’m closely monitoring the situation involving an active shooter in Anaconda. Please join Susan and me in praying for the victims, their loved ones, and the brave law enforcement officers responding to this tragedy.”

Mass killings, defined by the FBI as involving at least four victims, have been rare in Montana’s modern history.

In 2015, a man shot and killed his wife and three children before committing suicide in an off-grid cabin outside Anaconda, according to Reuters. The incident is the only Montana incident included in a database of mass killings maintained by Northeastern University.

Montana Free Press reporters Zeke Lloyd and Eric Dietrich contributed reporting.

The post Four dead in shooting at Anaconda bar, search for suspected shooter continues appeared first on Montana Free Press.

For the first time this year, anyone cruising around the state on an electric scooter will be doing so with the blessing of the Montana Legislature. 

Guidelines for the devices and other seatless rides, such as electric unicycles and skateboards, were written into law this spring with the passage of HB 588. The changes take effect Oct. 1. 

Rep. Neil Duram, R-Eureka, carried the bill after seeing a boy around town riding his “one-wheeled wonder,” which Duram described as a motorized unicycle equipped with a headlight and taillight. (Electric unicycles have only a wheel and foot platforms — no seat or post. Riders lean forward and backward to control the speed.) 

Despite following traffic laws, the boy was riding illegally, Duram said, since seatless devices like his hadn’t been authorized on public roadways. 

“I suspect your community has a kid just about like him,” Duram said. “This really is his transportation.”

Duram said the same applies to many people who have lost their driving privileges due to drunken driving. As the Eureka police chief and a former Montana Highway Patrol trooper, he’s seen it first-hand. 

Larry Flynn, deputy director at the Montana Department of Transportation, said that while HB 588 “brings us current” with the range of products available today, the technology is always evolving. 

“Even by next [legislative] session, you never know what might emerge that will need to be addressed separately,” Flynn said. 

No special license is required to ride an electric scooter or other seatless device. For mopeds and motorcycles, riders must obtain a motorcycle endorsement on their driver’s license. 

Under the new law, riders of motorized scooters or similar devices must obey all traffic laws and have white headlights and red taillights affixed to either the device or to the rider’s body or helmet. Riders younger than 18 years must wear a helmet. 

Motorized devices are not allowed on sidewalks unless the motor is off and they are being pedaled or pushed along. Riders must yield to pedestrians. Cities may enact their own sidewalk bans. 

The new law states that the power source for motorized seatless devices “may not be capable of propelling the device at a speed exceeding 30 miles an hour on a level surface.” 

Some products available today are faster than that, but it’s not clear how law enforcement will treat those devices. The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment. 

Bozeman and Great Falls have both hosted scooter rental programs in recent years. 

Matt Danzer, a 15-year officer with the Bozeman Police Department, thinks scooters are generally a good alternative to drunken driving: A rider might hurt themselves or a pedestrian, “but nothing like the damage they could do in a car.” 

But there were downsides, Danzer said. Most people renting scooters didn’t bring helmets, so they rode without one. He also saw one of the devices thrown off a parking garage and another into a dumpster. 

“I think it’s a lot like riding a bicycle, you know,” Danzer said. “We have people who are going to ride responsibly and people who aren’t.” 

Ryan Landolfi, a cyclist in Missoula, is more skeptical. He watches riders of motorized devices dart back and forth between the bike lane and regular traffic. His friend, a firefighter, responded to a wreck in which the rider hit a pothole and broke an ankle. Electric unicycles, in particular, worry him.

“They’re going, like, 30 miles an hour,” Landolfi said. “Those look terrifying. I see them zipping down Russell [Street] every day. … It seems kind of crazy that those things are street-legal.”

Flynn, of the transportation department, said that predictable driving is key to safety when scooters and unicyclists mix with regular traffic. 

“I think where we have incidents is where people suddenly dart out into traffic or don’t follow the law or behave erratically,” he said. 

Flynn said if drivers remain alert, lawful and predictable, the state’s roadways will stay safe. 

“We want to stress that all vehicle drivers, whether it’s a car or e-bike or whatever it is … everyone has the responsibility to share the roadway,” Flynn said. 

In addition to safety concerns for the newly authorized rides, some see a problem with the feasibility of owning such devices. 

Dax Sursely, who owns Billings Powersports, said electric scooters are a “nightmare” to maintain, in part because there are so many different brands with different parts and designs. He doesn’t sell them in his shop, but he repairs them.  

“People are coming from other towns because nobody will work on them,” he said. 

In-depth, independent reporting on the stories impacting your community from reporters who know your town.

The post New Montana law aims to regulate use of electric scooters, similar devices appeared first on Montana Free Press.

Missoula voters’ decision on an emergency services levy in November will not only affect the fire department’s response times but the future of the team responding to residents suffering a mental health crisis, department officials said this week. 

Since launching nearly three years ago, the mobile support team, a Missoula Fire Department and Partnership Health Center collaboration, has been funded by grants and federal pandemic relief money no longer available, according to information provided by the city. 

“We would continue to look at other options, but I don’t know where the funding would come from otherwise,” said John Petroff, mobile support team operations manager with the Missoula Fire Department. 

In early August, the Missoula City Council voted unanimously to put the 34-mill levy on the general election ballot on Nov. 7. The levy would raise $7 million in the first year, with about $930,000 allocated for the mobile support team. 

At current rates, the 34 mills would cost approximately $46 each year per $100,000 of assessed value, according to the city. If passed, the owner of a $413,000 home — Missoula’s median assessed value — would pay about $190 per year. 

The revenue would pay for 20 new firefighters to help improve response times that have worsened over the last few years, according to the fire department. In the last 15 years, Missoula’s population has increased by about 11.5%, driving up calls by 78%, but the number of firefighters has stalled at 80 since 2008, according to the city. 

Much of the increased volume of calls stems from newer residential developments in the area north of the Clark Fork River and west of Reserve Street, said Fire Chief Gordy Hughes. Crews responding to that area from other stations are being “hammered” by high call volumes, he said. 

The levy-funded firefighter positions would form a new engine company to respond to the growing neighborhoods from the nearby stations until a new facility is eventually built in the area, Hughes said. 

The revenue would also help keep firefighter wages competitive as departments across the state look to expand, Hughes said. 

“After COVID, and actually leading into COVID, a lot of cities in Montana have experienced this large growth uptick and uptick in call volumes and responses for emergencies driving the need across the state,” he said. 

Fire departments statewide are looking at levies to increase staffing, including Great Falls, Hughes said. If approved in November, Great Falls’ $10.7 million public safety levy would pay for 32 new firefighters, a fire prevention staff member, equipment and training, as well as increased police officers, 911 dispatchers and court staff, according to the city. 

While the Missoula department hasn’t struggled to recruit staff, the number of applicants to the Montana Firefighter Testing Consortium that Missoula and more than a dozen other departments use has decreased from 400 to 450 per year to 140 to 180, Hughes said. 

“I don’t know if the interest in a firefighting career is waning or if it’s just a natural trend around the country,” he said. “We will be competing with other departments if we’re successful in this levy.” 

The revenue would also help replace aging fire engines, ladder trucks and other equipment, Hughes said.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF CARE

The levy would provide permanent funding for the mobile support team, which responds with law enforcement to behavioral health-related 911 calls. 

A licensed mental health clinician and an emergency medical technician (EMT) respond to calls and the team’s case manager follows up with clients to help them navigate resources and next steps, according to the program’s website. 

The city and county used a state grant and federal pandemic relief funds to start the program in October 2020 to help better serve those in crisis and cut down on jail and hospital costs. The number of clients has increased over the last two years, with the team responding to about 2,200 initial calls and 1,700 follow-ups in the last 12 months, said Petroff, the support team operations manager. 

“We’re able to connect people with the right resources to help them with continuum of care, rather than just dropping them off at the emergency department,” he said. 

The team operates from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week, and is working toward having two units available during those hours, Petroff said. When fully staffed, the program includes five clinicians, a behavioral health manager, a case manager — hired through Partnership Health — and six EMTs employed by the fire department. 

A state crisis diversion grant funds most of the program, and the fire department pays for the team’s vans and Petroff’s salary. Altogether, the program’s annual expenses are nearly $1.4 million, Petroff said.  

About $930,000 of the $7 million raised by the November levy would go to the mobile support team, as officials anticipate receiving some reimbursement from Medicaid. The state is still working to finalize rates for behavioral health crisis response and follow-up case management, which was not covered by Medicaid in the past, Petroff said. 

Petroff, though, said he’d be surprised if the program gets back that much from Medicaid, as it’s difficult to collect insurance information from clients in crisis. The program doesn’t bill private insurance for that reason and to avoid dissuading people from accepting help, he said. 

“We’re working with them in that moment to say, ‘Hey, is there anything you can do right now to help you that you want to be a part of?’” Petroff said. “We’re bringing it back to having conversations with those clients and making sure they agree with what’s happening with their care.” 

While the support team’s limited hours create some challenges, program staff collaborate with multiple community partners to connect people with resources around the clock, Petroff said. Adjusting how police, fire and other emergency responders approach behavioral health has made a “significant change,” he said. 

“We know the program is successful and know we’re not able to fix everything for people,” Petroff said. “Responding differently, trying hard to be part of the system and, at some point, expanding to be available more often would be beneficial to [the] community because it would take other responders off calls that are not as much in their wheelhouse as having a clinician or EMT.”  

Petroff said he doesn’t know of any plans to expand the team’s hours or staffing levels beyond what the city has budgeted. 

“We offer a better response, but finding the workforce and funding for that is something the community has to get behind if that’s what they want,” he said. 

If this levy fails, permanently funding the support team is in question, Petroff said. Grants allowed the city to hold off on spending federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money set aside for the program, but there’s only enough to continue the team through July 2024, he said. 

Missoula officials planned to use revenue from the November 2022 crisis services levy to permanently fund the team, but the measure failed. Hughes, the fire chief, said the county-wide levy passed within the city limits, and despite “tax bill anxiety,” he said he is hopeful Missoulians will understand the need for this year’s levy. 

“I’m hopeful that we can move our master fire plan forward and provide these services that will help our community,” Hughes said. 

In-depth, independent reporting on the stories impacting your community from reporters who know your town.

The post Missoulians to vote on mill levy for fire department, crisis response team appeared first on Montana Free Press.