On Wednesday, March 6, state representatives Debra Hilstrom (DFL-40B), Tony Cornish (R-23B) and 78 bipartisan cosponsors introduced HF 1325. In conjunction with HF 1323 and HF 1324, these bills offer real solutions as an alternative to state Representative Michael Paymar’s (DFL-64B) HF 237 and Senator Ron Latz’s (DFL-46) soon to be introduced anti-gun omnibus bill. For more information on the Paymar gun control bill, please click here.
The NRA is working on introduction of a companion bill to HF 1325 in the Senate – please contact your state Senator TODAY and ask him or her to support the NRA’s alternative legislation and to oppose Senator Latz’s anti-gun omnibus bill.
Please also contact your state Representative TODAY and ask him or her to OPPOSE HF 237 and SUPPORT NRA-backed HF1325.
The following is a brief overview of the NRA-supported HF1325:
Strengthens Penalties on Felons and Repeat Criminal Offenders
- Prohibits felons from possessing ammunition – mirroring the federal prohibition on felons possessing ammunition.
- Creates mandatory minimums for violent felons that are convicted of possessing firearms on a second or subsequent offense.
- Provides felony penalties for individuals that engage in repeated knowingly false reports of lost or stolen firearms.
- Provides felony penalties for individuals that intentionally transfer a firearm to an ineligible person who they know intends to use the weapon in the furtherance of a felony crime of violence.
Cracks Down on Straw Purchasers
- Prohibits individuals from knowingly encouraging private sellers or licensed dealers to transfer firearms or ammunition under circumstances that the person knows would violate state or federal laws.
- Prohibits individuals from knowingly providing materially false information with the intent to deceive the licensed dealer or seller about the legality of a transfer of a firearm or ammunition.
- Penalizes the individual that procures another to commit the illegal transfer as a principal.
Improves State and Federal Background Check System
- Accelerates the time periods for sharing criminal data and information on individuals ineligible from possessing firearms based on criminal convictions and disqualifications and mental health adjudications and commitments – essentially providing that background check databases have the most current and accurate information.
- Requires reporting of the duration of firearm prohibitions in order to remove individuals who are no longer prohibited.
Improves Reporting of Court-Determined Mental Health Disqualifications and Create a Rights Restoration Process
- These provisions would implement requirements set forth in the federal NICS Improvement Amendments Act (NIAA) of 2007. It would grant persons who have lost their firearm rights because of a mental health commitment or adjudication the right to petition to have them restored.
- People who have been placed under certain types of mental health-related orders are banned by federal law from possessing firearms. The NIAA established clear standards for states to use in crafting laws to provide persons subject to these prohibitions a means of relief. This legislation, under the guidelines established by the NIAA, would allow a court to grant relief from the federal prohibition upon a finding that the petitioner is unlikely to act in a manner dangerous to public safety and that the granting of the relief would not be contrary to the public interest.
Contact your state legislators today!
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