Dear Friends,
The 2024 legislative session kicked off this week. While it is great to be back at the Capitol representing the best, Democrats are wasting no time in pushing their expensive and extreme agenda. From failing to return SROs to school to new gun legislation, it has been a busy first week.
While I will continue to send weekly newsletters and post on Twitter and Facebook throughout the week, you can always follow along on my official page to follow my work at the Capitol. There you can also find information with bills I have Chief Authored or Co-Authored. Just this week I introduced several bills, including those to provide funding for the Alexandria Lake Area Sanitary District and the Alexandria Technical and Community College campus improvements.
Democrats Fail to Address SROs
Despite promises that Democrats would work swiftly at the start of session to return our school resource officers (SROs) to campuses across Minnesota, there was little progress on their bill this week. Instead, Democrats delayed while listening to ridiculous claims from testifiers in committee. Some of the most egregious comments include:
Republicans are ready to fix this legislation so we can get 100% of SROs back in schools now. The longer Democrats kick the can down the road, the more we risk the safety of our students and teachers.
More Legislation to Restrict Your 2nd Amendment Rights
Despite passing numerous pieces of gun-control legislation last session, Democrats are now introducing even more bills to restrict your 2nd Amendment rights. One of the most far-reaching bills is HF 3570 which would ban the selling or transferring of different firearms, including semiautomatic rifles like the AR-15. It also introduces a buy-back program for semiautomatic rifles. The proposed penalty for violating this law is felony conviction with a $25,000 fine, five years in prison, or both.
Another bill, HF 3628, would ban the possession and transfer of almost all semiautomatic rifles, many shotguns, and some handguns, as well as standard capacity magazines. While those who already own these can be grandfathered, anyone who decides to keep these firearms will have to register them and pay a fee. Generally, you would not be able to carry these outside your home.
HF 3672 would repeal all of Minnesota's firearms preemption law. It would allow cities, townships, counties, and any other governmental entity to put into place whatever anti-gun ordinances they wish. This would create a complicated situation for lawful, permit-carrying gun owners as they travel around the state.
I will always fight for your 2nd Amendment rights so I will be a no vote on this bill. Gun debates can get heated and think it’s because so many people do not understand the basics of responsible gun ownership. I strongly encourage people who don’t know about firearms, especially semi-automatic rifles, to visit a local gun dealer. This is a great way to ask questions and educate yourself with the truth about gun ownership