Minnesota: Countdown to the 2014 Legislative Session

While the 2014 session of the 88^th Minnesota Legislature does not convene until February 25, pre-filing of bill introductions began last week.  As state legislation is filed, your NRA-ILA is working to advance recognition and restoration of your firearms freedoms and to ensure the defeat of all legislation that would infringe on your Second Amendment rights.  It is important that you remain engaged and vigilant this session, as the attacks on your right to keep and bear arms will persist.   Anti-gun billionaire Michael Bloomberg has put Minnesota on his list of states where he will be assaulting your Second Amendment rights this year through his “Mayors Against Illegal Guns” (MAIG) organization, and he plans to continue his aggressive push to criminalize private transfers of firearms between law-abiding citizens through grossly mislabeled “universal" background check legislation.

Hold your state Senator and Representative responsible and politely urge their opposition of any legislation this session that penalizes and negatively affects  law-abiding gun owners and sportsmen in Minnesota.  Insist that your state lawmakers devote their efforts and resources to crafting laws that address actual violent crime problems - not waste time and taxpayer money this session on politically motivated attacks on law-abiding gun owners.

No background check legislation will ever be “universal” since criminals simply ignore the law.

• A January 2013 internal U.S. Department of Justice memorandum summarizing so-called “gun violence” prevention strategies stated that the effectiveness of “universal" background checks depends on “requiring gun registration.”  Read the memo and get the facts here.

• So-called “universal” background check legislation is by all means an ineffective crime control proposal.  In April of 2013, PoliceOne conducted a national survey of 15,000 active and retired law enforcement officers of all ranks and department sizes on the topics of gun & crime control.  Nearly 80 percent said that a prohibition on private non-dealer transfers of firearms between individuals would not reduce violent crime.

• Current laws are not being enforced.  According to a 2012 report to the U.S. Department of Justice, more than 72,000 people were turned down on a gun purchase in 2010 because they didn’t clear a background check.  Only 44 of those cases – or just .06 percent – were prosecuted.  Existing laws are not even being enforced and proponents are calling for expanding background checks to cover private firearms transactions. 

We will continue to keep you updated on legislation as well as other measures that impact your Second Amendment rights this year.  As always, please continue to check your e-mail and www.NRAILA.org for further updates.