On Wednesday, March 3, the House Civil Justice Committee will hold a hearing on House File 1396. This bill 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
Any number of relatively innocent or unintentional scenarios could easily be imagined for such contact. Even intentional contact with a pet that is the subject of a protective order is clearly too low a threshold for a person to lose the ability to exercise a fundamental constitutional right. The same considerations simply do not apply to contact with animals as apply to contact with people. While this bill was originally designed to protect animals, it would also provide unintended and unjustified deprivation of people’s Second Amendment Rights.
Please contact the members of the Civil Justice Committee TODAY and respectfully urge them to oppose HF 1396. Contact information is listed below.
State Representative Joe Mullery (Committee Chair) (58A- DFL)
651-296-4262
[email protected]
State Representative Gail Kulick Jackson (Vice Committee Chair) (16A- DFL)
651-296-6746
[email protected]
State Representative Steve Drazkowski (28B- R)
651-296-2273
[email protected]
State Representative Bobby Joe Champion (58B- DFL)
651-296-8659
[email protected]
State Representative Debra Hilstrom (46B- DFL)
651-296-3709
[email protected]
State Representative Mary Liz Holberg (36A- R)
651-296-6926
[email protected]
State Representative Sheldon Johnson (67B- DFL)
651-296-4201
[email protected]
State Representative Tim Kelly (28A- R)
651-296-8635
[email protected]
State Representative Tim Mahoney (67A- DFL)
651-296-4277
[email protected]
State Representative Dave Olin (1A- DFL)
651-296-9635
[email protected]
State Representative Michael Paymar (64B- DFL)
651-296-4199
[email protected]
State Representative Peggy
651-296-4231
[email protected]
State Representative Torrey Westrom (11A- R)
651-296-4929
[email protected]