Saint Paul, MN -(AmmoLand.com)- Friday, Jan. 29th, 2016, the Minnesota Legislature released details on bills that were filed for the upcoming legislative session.
Buried in the mass of bills were four gun control bills that we strongly oppose along with one bill that has the potential to earn our support. There were no pro-gun bills filed prior to the pre-filing deadline yesterday.
Here’s a brief rundown on the bills. For more details at any time throughout the session, you can follow along on our 2016 Legislative Tracker page and obtain up-to-the-minute details on the status of bills.
HF2399 – Hennepin County; gun court establishment funding provided:
- Overview: Creates a gun court in Hennepin County to primarily adjudicate illegal firearm possession cases
- MN Gun Owners Caucus Position: NEUTRAL W/ POTENTIAL TO EARN OUR SUPPORT
- Link to bill on Minnesota Legislature website
HF2415 – Comprehensive Gun Control Act of 2016:
- Overview: Requires training to purchase a firearm, creates a 28 day waiting period to receive a permit to purchase a firearm, requires universal background checks / registration for any firearm transfer, requires government mandated “safe storage” methods for firearms and ammunition, imposes criminal penalties
- MN Gun Owners Caucus Position: STRONGLY OPPOSED
- Link to bill on Minnesota Legislature website
HF2415 is Rep. Kim Norton’s signature gun control bill. It’s full of the failed gun control strategies of the past and would do nothing to stop mass shootings, violent criminals, or suicides.
Her bill even makes it illegal for you to have a ready-to-use home defense weapon stored safely in a bedside safe. Instead, the firearm must be unloaded with the ammunition secured separately from your firearm.
Rep. Tony Cornish, Chairman of the House Public Safety Policy and Finance Committee, described the bill in the Rochester Post-Bulletin by saying “I see nothing in the bills that would prevent suicide, crime, mayhem, or murder”.
HF2416 – Requiring federal licensure of persons who regularly transfer firearms:
- Overview: Requires anyone who buys/sells more than 3 firearms in a calendar year to obtain a federal firearms license, or transfer only through a dealer
- MN Gun Owners Caucus Position: STRONGLY OPPOSED
- Link to bill on Minnesota Legislature website
HF2417 – Establishing gun buyback grants for local law enforcement:
- Overview: Requires the Commissioner of Public Safety to create a gun buyback grant program for local law enforcement agencies
- MN Gun Owners Caucus Position: STRONGLY OPPOSED
- Link to bill on Minnesota Legislature website
HF2580 – Prohibiting persons on the terrorist watchlist from possessing firearms:
- Overview: Prohibits persons on the FBI Terorrist Watchlist from possessing firearms
- MN Gun Owners Caucus Position: STRONGLY OPPOSED
- Link to bill on Minnesota Legislature website
We’ll continue to keep you up to date as additional bills are introduced. Be sure to keep an eye on our 2016 Legislative Tracker page for updates on legislation before and during the session.
Here are some actions that you can take TODAY to help stop these bills from advancing:
- Add your name to our TELL REP NORTON NO! petition by clicking here. We’ll deliver it to Rep. Norton’s office right after the start of the upcoming legislative session.
- Call Rep. Norton at 651-296-9249. Tell Rep. Norton that you’re opposed to her gun control legislation.
- Send an e-mail to Rep. Norton to re-iterate your points. Be polite, but firm.
- Call your Representative in the Minnesota House. Let them know you’re opposed to any gun control legislation for the upcoming session. You can look up your Representative’s contact information at the MN Legislature website.
- Send a brief e-mail to your Representative as a follow-up to your phone call. Re-iterate your key points and opposition to gun control legislation.
- If you haven’t already done so, join the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus and help us in the 24×7 fight to protect your constitutional rights as a gunowner in Minnesota.
Thanks for your ongoing support.
About Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus:
The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus is a non-partisan, single-issue Minnesota nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to the full restoration of firearms freedoms in Minnesota. The Caucus is a IRS recognized 501(c)(4) organization.
Learn more at https://gunowners.mn.