Minnesota advocates renew push for gun reform at state capitol in wake of shooting at Louisville bank
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Advocates for gun violence prevention are doubling down on their push for state lawmakers to act on policy this year after a mass shooting at a bank in Louisville, Kentucky, on Monday.
Supporters highlighted two key priorities during a news conference on Tuesday: expanding background checks and implementing a '"red flag" law. Both proposals face the best chance of passing in the remaining six weeks of session; other proposals like gun licensing and raising the age to buy military-style weapons are not advancing.
"We can do this, Minnesota. We can pass this reform to make our kids safe. And if we don't, we are begging to be next," said Sasha Cotton, senior strategy director at the National Network for Safe Communities and former director of the Minneapolis Office of Violence Prevention. "We don't want to be the next Louisville. We don't want to be the next Nashville. Let's do what we know needs to happen."
Federal law requires background checks for all gun purchases made at federally licensed firearms dealers, but there is a loophole for some sales. The bill at the Capitol would extend those screenings to all sales and transfers, including private loans and gifts of firearms. Twenty-one states have passed similar laws, according to the Giffords Law Center.
A "red flag" law authorizes the use of extreme risk protection orders. The policy would allow law enforcement or a family member to petition a judge to temporarily restrict a person's access to firearms if deemed a substantial harm to themselves or others.
Opponents of these two measures say they infringe on the rights of lawful gun owners.
Rob Doar with the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus argues the state proposal for extreme risk protection orders deprive people due process because the court proceeding can occur while that person isn't present in court. This type of order is known as "ex parte," used in exigent circumstances.
"If the need is so great to have that secret hearing and to get the order, the need is to address the individual in crisis and not operate under the premise that simply removing the firearms resolves that crisis," Doar said.
Attorney General Keith Ellison during Tuesday's news conference noted that ex parte provisions are "rare" in law because the U.S. legal system "favors all sides being present." But he said it can be appropriate when someone is threatening, or someone's life is at risk.
"Sometimes time is of the essence," he said.
The fate of these two gun measures is unclear, especially in the Senate where the DFL majority is just one vote. Key leaders tabled other legislation that would impose new restrictions and regulations.
Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee chair Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, said recently that background checks and extreme risk protection orders represent the "totality of the gun bills" that he will bring forward for vetting in his committee.
When asked about where the bills stand in the legislature, Maggiy Emery with Protect Minnesota, a gun violence prevention advocacy group, said: "Our understanding is that it's our job to find the votes for these bills."
Both sides of the debate agree that the legislature should boost funding for community violence intervention.