The Minnesota Senate Public Safety and Judiciary Committee gathered in Hibbing for a hearing on proposed legislation to help prevent violent crimes. Senator Warren Limmer (R- Maple Grove), chair of the committee, held the hearing to hear both Republican and Democrat proposals, and to hear from the citizens of greater Minnesota who may not be able to travel to the Capitol to participate.
Senator Mark Johnson (R- East Grand Forks) said the hearing was one of his favorite hearings he has attended as rural Minnesotans were heard and presented a different perspective than metropolitan politics. “It was one of my favorite committee hearings of all time,” said Johnson. “Normally we do all the committee hearings in St. Paul, but we took it out to Hibbing and heard from some new voices, new people on their thoughts on second amendment type bills. We heard a universal background check bill, a red flag bill, a constitutional carry, and a stand your ground – castle doctrine – bill. Senator (Ron) Latz (D- St. Paul) brought the two gun-control bills, and it was great to get a new perspective from the audience who were very much against curtailing our second amendment rights. Senator Latz had a very tough time presenting those bills in that setting. But we got so much sport for the constitutional carry and stand your ground clarification bill from the audience and those testifying which was a new experience. Usually, when you’re in St. Paul, you get a completely different view of things, so it’s great to have the committee come out and hear something different than the echo chamber of metropolitan politics. I was excited about that hearing. Those who want to curtail our second amendment rights got a taste of what the means to rural Minnesota.”
Johnson said the Democratic-led red flag bill includes ex-parte hearings gun owner’s involvement. “The idea is if someone is going through a mental health crisis, law enforcement can come in and confiscate your weapons, guns, hunting rifles, whatever you have at home if somebody feels unsafe about that,” said Johnson. “It’s an ex-parte hearing which means they take you away from whatever is going on, and it’s just the petitioner, the person complaining about your activity, the judge and the cop deciding – yep, we’re going to do that. If they do decide – yeah, we’re going to take away your guns – they come to your house, and you may know there are coming. Now the person who has a mental health crisis or whatever now has their guns and is ready for the cops to come.”
Combined with the proposed universal background check bill Johnson said he believes the proposals would lead to an unconstitutional taking of firearms. “The other thing, this goes with the universal background check, is how does law enforcement know they got all your guns,” said Johnson. “And that’s where I think those two bills shoehorn together to curtail your second amendment rights. If they have a list of guns that you own, now they exactly which ones they need to get out of the house. Those are the two things that scare me, the government knows what you have, and they are able to come and get them. That is what is an unconstitutional taking of your firearms from my perspective.”
Johnson also spoke about Reverend Tim Christopher’s testimony as someone from the metro who doesn’t view the proposed gun control bills as a solution to the violence in his neighborhood. “Some from the metropolitan side of things are with us,” said Johnson. “We heard from Reverend Tim Christopher, very passionate. He lives in a black community in the northern Minneapolis type area. He says, ‘this will not stop the criminals; this will not stop the killing that happens on my street in front of my door.’ He understands that criminals are not going to follow background checks, not going to abide by red flag issues. He sees this as more of political gamesmanship, and I agree with him. I think that this is simply a way to expand the government’s role in our lives, which we are adamantly against, and I think most rural Minnesotans are adamantly against that. We’ll get a few that say there are for these bills, but when you look at it, they aren’t going to solve any of our problems. What we need to be looking at is mental health issues, domestic violence, and looking at gang violence down in the cities. Those three areas cover most of the deaths from firearms.”
Republican-backed bills for constitutional carry and clarification of the castle doctrine for standing your ground were also presented. Johnson said the data shows it’s just as safe, if not safer, in places with constitutional carry laws enacted. “Senator Andrew Lang (R- Olivia) and Senator (Mark) Koran (R- North Branch) brought in a constitutional carry bill which North Dakota and South Dakota enacted,” said Johnson. “In South Dakota, they’ve got the largest motorcycle rally, and there were all these predictions that blood would be running in the street during that time because everybody is carrying firearms, yet not one incident. It’s a constitutional right under the second amendment, why do we need to be permitted and approved by the government to carry a firearm around. The data we’ve seen from the places that have constitutional carry is just as safe as the places that don’t, if not more so. “
The castle doctrine bill provides clarification to the public, law enforcement, and prosecutors to current law about a person having the right, duty, or obligation to protect their home without having to retreat according to Johnson. Johnson said he believes it will be an uphill battle for Republicans to get the constitutional carry or castle doctrine bills through a democratic controlled house and governor. But added it’s something that Republicans will continue to work on to ensure second amendment rights aren’t trodden on.
