Gun Battle Brewing in Minnesota

The Star Tribune (Minneapolis) reported on January 20 about a political fight over gun rights in Minnesota that has the potential to become a major issue in an election year. The state legislative session begins on February 11, and Republicans, who are in the majority in the Senate, intend to pass a series of pro-Second Amendment measures that includes “constitutional carry” and “stand your ground” laws. 

This column has previously written on the concept of “constitutional carry,” which refers to making it lawful for gun owners to carry their firearms on them without first seeking a permit from the state. “Stand your ground” laws refer to laws that regulate the justified use of lethal force, removing the duty-to-retreat requirement before one is allowed to initiate self-defense during a deadly attack. The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party plans to take the opposite approach and is urging the passage of so-called red flag laws, which take away a person’s guns based upon the sometimes unfounded accusations of others, and expanded background checks for gun purchases. State lawmakers gathered in Hibbing to debate the various proposed gun laws, but no votes were taken. The Star Tribune described it as “a roiling political fight that is likely to play out throughout the coming legislative session and the November elections, when control of both the state House and Senate will be up for grabs.”

The state House is under the control of the DFL, which passed gun restrictions in the last legislative session that were eventually blocked in the Senate. Republican Senator Warren Limmer told the Star Tribune, “I’m interested in solutions that work, and in a divided government … that we have now, those types of extreme proposals just aren’t going to pass.”

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