Minnesota Governor Signs ‘Historic’ Gun Safety Measures Into Law
Two new gun safety measures are now the law of the land in Minnesota after Governor Tim Walz signed a new public safety spending bill Friday afternoon.
DFL lawmakers have been working for the better part of the last couple decades to pass some sort of gun control measures. But after years of failed attempts, they finally got their wish.
“I’ve been working on this since I was first elected to the House in 2002,” said Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park. “For me, it’s been a policy issue. For a lot of people, it’s a lot more than that.”
Latz was one of the speakers during a news conference filled with emotion. DFL state lawmakers stood alongside victims of gun violence — such as former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords who survived an assassination attempt in 2011 — to celebrate the passage of a bill that supporters say will save lives.
Gabrielle Giffords speaks during Friday’s news conference at the Minnesota Capitol.
“Today we are moving into a world that is safer for all of our children,” said Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. “Because of all of you, because of parents, because of moms.”
The bill requires background checks on private gun sales. It also includes a so-called “red flag” law that allows family members and law enforcement to petition a court to have guns removed from someone deemed a danger to themselves or others.
The Minnesota Senate passed the bill, SF 2909, last week by a one-vote margin on a party-line vote
“I often said as we debated this bill, when our opponents would say, ‘This isn’t going to stop everything.’ And I’d say, ‘Our job is to protect people, and if it stops one tragedy, or if it stops 10 tragedies, then we’ve done our job,'” said Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope.
The gun provisions were part of a $3.5 billion public safety spending package.
Related: Local Lawmakers React to Passage of Gun Measures, Public Safety Bill
Brooklyn Center | Brooklyn Park | Champlin | Corcoran | Crystal | Golden Valley | Maple Grove | New Hope | Osseo | Plymouth | Robbinsdale | Rogers | Twin Cities | Wayzata
