CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — While the recent school massacre in Connecticut has reignited the national debate on gun control, some Wyoming lawmakers are pushing to designate a powerful revolver made by a homegrown gun company as the official state firearm.

A bill pending for the legislative session that starts in early January would name the Freedom Arms Model 83 revolver as Wyoming's official state gun. The high-end revolvers are made in the Western Wyoming town of Freedom.

Glenrock Republican Rep. Richard Cannady is the bill's main sponsor and runs a company that deals in shooting supplies.

Cannady says the Freedom Arms revolvers are high quality guns intended for big game hunting and protection against bears. He says they're not the sort of gun that people typically use for committing crimes.

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