By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
The Minnesota State Senate on Monday passed legislation described by a Senate document as an “Omnibus Firearms Bill.”
According to Alpha News, the 34-33 vote was party line, and if it clears the House, the measure will require Minnesota gun owners to register such firearms with the state.
But gun owners in the North Star State are wary, after what is happening in Rhode Island, where last year the legislature passed a ban on modern semi-auto rifles which allowed those who already owned the guns to keep them. This year, there’s an effort to ban possession of so-called “assault weapons” outright, which means current owners would have to move their guns out of state or otherwise get rid of them.
As noted at Guns.com, here are some of he provisions in SF 4067:
- Ban on modern sporting rifles and other semi-auto firearms, such as the common AR-15, as well as various pistols and shotguns.
- Ban on magazines holding more than 17 rounds, including standard-capacity handgun and rifle magazines.
- Ban on user-completed firearms, such as unfinished receivers.
- Further restrictions on 3D-printed firearms.
- Ban on popular binary triggers.
- Broader “red flag” laws, expanding who can request the removal of an individual’s Second Amendment rights and extending how long that denial lasts.
- Expanded funding for enforcing “red flag” laws.
- Stricter storage laws for firearms.
- Expansion of gun-free zones, including school-sponsored events.
However, when the legislation hits the House, it may not fare as well, since the House is evenly split 67-67.
The bill is sponsored by DFL Sen. Zaynab Mohamed.
Alpha News quoted Republican Sen. Andrew Lang calling SF 4067 a “gun ban and confiscation bill.” During debate, he posed this question: “Are we here to protect constitutional rights, or are we here to erode them when it becomes politically inconvenient?”
A report at KTTC described SF 4067 as “a school safety and public safety bill,” but aside from a $19 million appropriation for School Safety Aid, the legislation appears to be pure gun control.
