The National Rifle Association is praising the Minnesota House of Representatives for rejecting a gun control measure pushed by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg that would have criminalized common place practices of law-abiding gun owners and subjected them to new fees and mandates.
By rejecting the proposed amendment early this morning in the Minnesota House, lawmakers send Bloomberg a clear message: they don’t want more government mandates and fees in order to exercise their Second Amendment rights.
“Bloomberg and his Minnesota front groups are doing everything they can to make it harder for law-abiding Minnesotans to exercise their right to self-defense,” said Catherine Mortensen, NRA Spokesperson. “In addition to piling on more fees and government mandates, this amendment would criminalize common place practices of Minnesota’s law-abiding gun owners. It will do nothing to prevent criminals from obtaining firearms and will only put an unnecessary burden upon law-abiding citizens.”
Earlier this week, NRA Minnesota members and supporters sent more than 3,700 email letters to State Senators on the Judiciary Committee urging them to reject a bill that was similar to today's failed amendment.
The proposed amendment would dramatically expand background checks to all sales and transfers of firearms in the state of Minnesota, with very limited and narrow exceptions. This bill would criminalize common place practices of law-abiding citizens who hunt, engage in recreational shooting sports, and exercise their Second Amendment for self-defense.
Background information:
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 77% of criminals obtain guns through theft, on the black market, from drug dealers and other illicit sources. Criminals, by definition, do not follow the law and are not going to subject themselves to a background check to acquire a firearm. Clearly, this proposal will do nothing to prevent criminals from illegally obtaining firearms.
Examples of how common place practices of law-abiding gun owners would be criminalized under SF 2493:
- A hunter who takes a close friend, neighbor, or even a cousin, hunting could face criminal charges if he shares his firearm with his friend depending on whether hunting is legal in all places where the friend possesses the firearm. This means that if the friend or relative possesses the firearm while crossing a road or other area where hunting isn’t legal, the hunter could be prosecuted because the friend’s possession would no longer fit within the narrow language of the provided exception.
- A member of the military could face criminal charges for having a friend store his firearms while he or she is deployed overseas.
- A person who is a victim of a stalker or domestic violence, but cannot afford to purchase a firearm for self-defense, would not be able to borrow a firearm from a friend, until the very moment her attacker is standing over her with a deadly weapon.
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America's oldest civil rights and sportsmen's group. More than five million members strong, NRA continues to uphold the Second Amendment and advocates enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation's leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the armed services. Be sure to follow the NRA on Facebook at NRA on Facebook and Twitter @NRA.
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