Reality Check: Will Minnesota Pass Any New Gun Laws?
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Protests continued this week at the State Capitol for new gun restrictions, a month after a tragic school shooting that shook the nation.
A 19-year-old killed 17 people at a Florida school, triggering the emotional start of a new gun safety movement spread by young students across the country, including in Minnesota.
Unlike other states, Minnesota is not likely to pass any new gun laws. In the Republican-led Minnesota House and Senate, there are currently 26 separate bills pending that restrict guns and gun violence -- 21 of them introduced after the Florida school shooting last month.
The bills range from gun violence protective orders (HF1605/SF1262) to universal background checks (HF1661/SF1261) to a ban on bump stocks (HF2781/SF2601) and assault-style weapons (HF3022).
Only two of the 26 gun bills at the capitol even got a hearing -- one for universal background checks and one for gun violence protective orders. They were voted down -- twice.
That's despite 85 percent of Americans who favor stricter gun laws, according to a recent CBS News Poll. That poll also found 87 percent favor better mental health screening, 75 percent favor tougher background checks, 56 percent favor a bump stock ban and 53 percent agree with a ban on assault weapons.
In red-state Florida, lawmakers passed a package of gun restrictions. Other states are doing the same, including Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon and Rhode Island.
Some states are even passing looser gun laws, including Colorado, Idaho, Kentucky, South Dakota, and Iowa.
But in Minnesota despite widespread protest, state lawmakers are not likely to pass a single bill this year restricting guns.
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Here are some of the sources we used for this Reality Check:
New York Times: Florida Gun Restrictions
New York Times: What Are States Doing About Gun Restrictions?
Associated Press Survey of State Gun Proposals
Gun Control Bills Introduced in the MN House: 1590, 1605, 1669, 2781, 2891, 3029, 3022, 3038, 3438, 3516, 1356, 3951, 3953, 3954
Gun Control Bills Introduced in the Minnesota Senate: 1262, 1261, 2601, 2726, 3131, 2781, 2782, 2882, 2883, 2959, 3603, 3605