Gov. Greg Gianforte joined Kalispell Rep. Courtenay Sprunger in the Flathead County Courthouse on Friday to ceremonially sign two of the freshman lawmakers bills into law, one letting auxiliary officers carry weapons, the other establishing stricter punishments for fentanyl traffickers.

“To reach our full potential as a state, Montana families have to know they are safe and secure in their homes,” Gianforte said prior to putting pen to paper.

Sprunger, a Republican legislator who carried eight of her nine bills to the governor’s desk during this year’s legislative session, acknowledged law enforcement for their part in community safety in her remarks at the ceremony.

“Our communities are safer because of the people who are here today in uniform,” she said.

House Bill 256, which Sprunger took to the Legislature at the request of the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, officially became law on May 18. It allows auxiliary officers, with permission from their authorizing agency and after appropriate training, to carry a weapon when providing law enforcement services.

Auxiliary officers are volunteers who assist their local law enforcement agencies, often tasked with managing the safety and security of events like rodeos, gun shows, concerts, sporting events and rallies. The bill text specifies that the weapons are less than lethal, meaning weapons such as tasers and pepper spray.

“It's good to see our local auxiliary officers ask for help, and then get it solved within the session,” Sprunger said prior to the gathering. “There is a lot of joy in that.”

Cpl. Charles Pesola of the Flathead Sheriff’s Office joined Sprunger and Gianforte for the ceremony. He coordinates the volunteer forces for the agency, which includes sworn reserve deputies and auxiliary officers, commonly known as the Posse.

“What keeps me up late at night… they protect us and our families and our children and have no way to protect themselves,” Pesola said regarding auxiliary officers. “House Bill 256 gives them the ability to have non lethal weapons — something more than their radio — to protect themselves should something go array.”

Sprunger’s other piece of legislation, House Bill 791, which was also formally signed into law on May 18, imposes a mandatory minimum sentence of two years of prison time, a $50,000 fine, or both, for anyone convicted of trafficking fentanyl in Montana.

“Frankly, it will make the law reflect how serious this drug is,” said state Attorney General Austin Knudsen in a previous interview.

Earlier this year, Knudsen’s office announced a nearly 11,000 percent increase in fentanyl seizures by anti-drug task forces in Montana since 2019, with three times the amount of fentanyl seized in 2022 as in 2021.

“This problem is putting Americans at risk, and we're seeing it right here in Montana with fentanyl,” Gianforte said.

The tougher penalty applies to those who possess fentanyl in a combined amount greater than 100 pills or a combined weight greater than 10 grams in a form such as a powder, solid or liquid.

“So here's our message: If you traffic fentanyl in Montana, we will find you and we will put you behind bars,” Gianforte said.

Several members of the Sheriff’s Posse accompanied Gianforte and Sprunger during the ceremonial signing. U.S. Congressman Ryan Zinke, a Republican from Whitefish, and state Rep. Tony Brockman, R-Kalispell, also were in attendance.

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.