Advocates renew push for safe storage gun law in Minnesota after proposals failed last session
Minnesota gun safety advocates hope proposals to require safe storage of firearms and boost funding for violence prevention programs that didn't pass the Legislature last year will get a fresh look at the state capitol.
But those bills will face an even steeper hurdle this year. That's because they didn't pass a DFL-controlled Legislature last session, after one Democrat in the Senate said he opposed mandates to keep guns locked and stored away from ammunition when not in use by the person permitted to have it.
Now the House is headed for a tie following a special election Tuesday, forcing bipartisan work in the chamber, and Republicans have not supported similar efforts in the past.
Still, those seeking to curb gun violence hope the proposals will get a hearing anyway. At a news conference Wednesday, supporters said while gun deaths decreased in recent years from 2022 to 2023, the data shows the number of people killed by firearms is 20% higher than pre-pandemic levels.
All firearms would need to be locked and unloaded, separate from ammunition, when they are not being carried or used by the person authorized to have them under the first plan. The other would expand Medicaid coverage for violence prevention services.
"These kids that I've cared for, they haunt me, in part because I know every one of those was preventable. It did not have to happen, and we cannot, and we should not accept the devastation that guns cause in children's lives and their bodies,'" said Dr. Marc Gorelick, president and CEO of Children's Minnesota, who noted that gun violence is the leading cause of death among children.
Opponents of the safe storage proposal in the past have said the law change would make having a firearm at home for self-defense useless if it's locked away. Rob Doar, senior vice president of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, also argues the policy would run afoul of recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent expanding Second Amendment rights.
The Legislature in 2023 approved expanding background checks for gun purchases and transfers and implemented a "red flag" law that would allow individuals' guns to be temporarily taken away if a judge determines that they are a threat to themselves or others. Lawmakers also passed a law increasing penalties for straw gun purchasers who buy firearms for individuals who aren't legally allowed to have them.
"I am a lawful gun owner, and I keep my gun locked and my ammunition stored away from my weapon. The reality is we can do this. Minnesota can do this, and we absolutely need to. If we care about children, if we care about families, safe and secure storage is a no-brainer," said Rep. Athena Hollins, DFL-St. Paul.
Another bill brought forward last year that didn't clear the finish line mandates reporting of lost or stolen firearms to law enforcement within 48 hours of being missing.
Starting next week, when the new DFL representative-elect is sworn into office and the House returns to a tie, Republicans and Democrats will co-chair committees. Each party will have the ability to bring forward their priority bills for a hearing, but ultimately they will need bipartisan support to advance, which creates an uncertain future for additional gun legislation.
No bill will get a vote on the floor without members of both the GOP and DFL signing off on it, either.
