Please Contact the Members of the House Crime Victims/Criminal Records Sub-Committee!

On Wednesday, March 10, two anti-gun bills are scheduled to be heard by the Crime Victims/Criminal Records Sub-Committee at 12:00 p.m.  These bills have been vigorously and loudly opposed by NRA members and pro-firearm advocates but they are being heard at the request of their sponsor, anti-gun State Representative, Michael Paymar (DFL-64B).

House File 2960 would force private sales at gun shows to go through background checks.  Gun prohibitionists, like Representative Paymar, falsely claim that a large number of criminals get their guns from gun shows; however, the most recent federal study on gun shows put the figure at only 0.7 percent.  This effort is a stepping stone for gun control advocates seeking to ban all private sales, even among family and friends. 

House File 1396 includes a provision that would allow a court that issues a domestic abuse protective order to prohibit the respondent from having any contact with a PET OR COMPANION ANIMAL OWNED, POSSESSED, OR KEPT by a party protected in the order.  This new provision could have serious consequences for Minnesotans who exercise their right to keep and bear arms.

Under Minnesota law, a person who is convicted of violating an order of protection may not possess a pistol for three years from the date of conviction.  However, if the court finds the person "used" a firearm in any way during the commission of the violation, the court may prohibit the person from possessing any firearm for ANY period longer than three years or for the remainder of the person’s life.  In the latter case, the court shall also order that the firearm be summarily forfeited.  Because this bill would allow a court to order the respondent to have no contact with the pet or companion animal, such an order could be violated merely by inadvertent contact with a "protected" pet.  Thus, depending on the circumstances of the contact, a person could be subject to these firearms prohibitions for contacting the pet or companion animal, whether or not the contact resulted in injury or trauma to the animal.

Please contact the members of the House Crime Victims/Criminal Records Sub-Committee TODAY and respectfully urge them to oppose HF2960 and HF1396.  Contact information for the committee can be found below.

State Representative Debra Hilstrom  (DFL-46B)
651-296-3709
rep.debra.hilstrom@house.mn

State Representative Kory Kath  (DFL-26A)
651-296-5368
rep.kory.kath@house.mn

State Representative Paul Kohls  (R-34A)
651-296-4282
rep.paul.kohls@house.mn

State Representative John Lesch  (DFL-66A)
651-296-4224
rep.john.lesch@house.mn

State Representative Dave Olin  (DFL-1A)
651-296-9635
rep.dave.olin@house.mn

State Representative Ron Shimanski  (R-18A)
651-296-1534
rep.ron.shimanski@house.mn

State Representative Jenifer Loon  (R-42B)
651-296-7449
rep.jenifer.loon@house.mn