Minnesota: Gun Control Bills to Be Heard Next Week in the House Public Safety Committee

House Public Safety Committee Chairman Michael Paymar, a long-time anti-gun advocate, plans to hold committee hearings on his gun control proposals beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 5 through Thursday, February 7 in State Office Building Room 10.  At this time, none of his gun control legislation has been introduced.  However, the NRA understands that Paymar’s gun control bills will likely be introduced later this week or early next week and include, at a minimum, the following attacks on our Second Amendment rights:

Ban on “Assault Weapons”:  This measure would ban commonly owned semi-automatic firearms under the political misnomer “assault weapons.”  Other than for gun control supporters’ misleading propaganda purposes, semi-automatic “assault weapon” legislation or laws have nothing substantial to do with fully-automatic firearms, which are heavily regulated under federal law.  Semi-automatics and all other firearms, such as bolt-actions, pump-actions, lever-actions, revolvers, double-barreled shotguns and single-shot firearms, fire only once when the trigger is pulled.  They are tools commonly used by the law-abiding for self-defense, hunting and target shooting.  For more information on this issue, please click here.

Magazine Capacity Bans:  This legislation would seek to arbitrarily limit the number of rounds your commonly-owned firearm magazines could hold to defend you and your family – potentially leaving YOU vulnerable to criminals that possess magazines of all capacities.  For more information on this issue, please click here.

Ban Private Transfers of Firearms and Institute a “Universal Background Check” system:  This type of legislation is the first step in “universal registration” and clearly over-reaches and infringes on our Right to Keep and Bear Arms.  Imagine a grandfather who wants to give a family shotgun to his twelve-year-old grandson having to conduct a background check on his grandson before giving him the shotgun.

Gun control measures have proven time and time again to be useless at curbing crime.  Criminals, by definition, have zero regard for the law. Criminals simply do not obey gun bans, register their firearms or comply with any gun control schemes.  As a result, only law-abiding citizens will obey the law and be left defenseless.  Anti-gun measures are successful at one thing only - encroaching on law-abiding citizens’ Second Amendment rights!

It is of utmost importance that you act NOW to stop all attempts to ban firearms and enact more ineffective and onerous gun control laws.  Please contact members of the House Public Safety Committee and tell them to oppose ALL new gun control proposals and to work on real solutions to existing crime problems like enforcing current laws, empowering the law-abiding to protect themselves and loved ones, and focusing on mental health issues.

House Public Safety Committee:

Representative Michael Paymar (DFL) – Chairman

651-296-4199

E-mail: rep.michael.paymar@house.mn

Representative Paul Rosenthal (DFL) – Vice Chairman

651-296-7803

E-mail: rep.paul.rosenthal@house.mn

Representative Tony Cornish (R) – Republican Lead

651-296-4240

E-mail: rep.tony.cornish@house.mn

Representative Debra Hilstrom (DFL)

651-296-3709

E-mail: rep.debra.hilstrom@house.mn

Representative Brian Johnson (R)

651-296-4346

E-mail: rep.brian.johnson@house.mn

Representative Tim Kelly (R)

651-296-8635

E-mail: rep.tim.kelly@house.mn

Representative Andrea Kieffer (R)

651-296-1147

E-mail: rep.andrea.kieffer@house.mn

Representative John Lesch (DFL)

651-296-4224

E-mail: rep.john.lesch@house.mn

Representative Kathy Lohmer (R)

651-296-4244

E-mail: rep.kathy.lohmer@house.mn

Representative Joe Mullery (DFL)

651-296-4262

E-mail: rep.joe.mullery@house.mn

Representative Jim Newberger (R)

651-296-2451

E-mail: rep.jim.newberger@house.mn

Representative Shannon Savick (DFL)

651-296-8216

E-mail: rep.shannon.savick@house.mn

Representative Dan Schoen (DFL)

651-296-4342

E-mail: rep.dan.schoen@house.mn

Representative Steve Simon (DFL)

651-296-9889

E-mail: rep.steve.simon@house.mn

Representative Erik Simonson (DFL)

651-296-4246

E-mail: rep.erik.simonson@house.mn

Representative Linda Slocum (DFL)

651-296-7158

E-mail: rep.linda.slocum@house.mn

Representative Mark Uglem (R)

651-296-5513

E-mail: rep.mark.uglem@house.mn

Representative John Ward (DFL)

651-296-4333

E-mail: rep.john.ward@house.mn