“The challenge you have is when you put these sort of rules in place, the only ones they burden are law-abiding citizens,” he said. “Criminals in a gun exchange are not going to do a background check."

Municipalities that pass their own ordinances regarding firearms could create a “patchwork of regulations” that would make it difficult for gun owners to obey the law, Gianforte said, but he also doesn't support a statewide universal background check statute.

“I believe background checks are a step towards a gun registry, which I am opposed to,” he said.

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The evening the ordinance passed at the Missoula City Council on Sept. 26, the speaker of Montana's House of Representatives, Austin Knudsen, R-Culbertson, wrote on his campaign Facebook page that he would ask Attorney General Tim Fox to issue a legal opinion on whether it conflicts with state law and the Montana Constitution.

John Barnes, director of communications for the Montana Department of Justice, said Friday that Fox’s office has not received a request from Knudsen, who did not return a request for comment.

If issued, a legal opinion from Fox would would only be able to be overruled by a state district court or the Montana Supreme Court.