ST. PAUL, MN – Tuesday night, State Representative Dave Pinto (DFL – St. Paul) responded to the lack of bipartisan gun violence prevention measures in the Republican Public Safety omnibus bill (HF 2856) with the following statement:
“Republicans have failed their responsibility to the people of Minnesota by not making any effort to add broadly supported, bipartisan gun violence prevention measures to their final Public Safety omnibus bill. Ninety percent of Minnesotans, including a majority of gun owners, want criminal background checks on gun purchases. Minnesotans are demanding that we do more to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people, but this session Republicans have blocked every effort to do that. That is deeply disappointing to me, and to thousands of families throughout our state who have been touched by tragic gun violence and expect action.”
Rep. Pinto is the chief author of two of the leading gun violence prevention measures. One would expand criminal background checks from to most sales of firearms to cover all sales (HF 1669). The other would allow family members or law enforcement to seek a court order temporarily removing guns from an individual proven to be a significant danger (HF 1605). Both bills were tabled by the Republican-controlled Minnesota House Public Safety Committee in March, and Republican members refused to take them from the table again at a later meeting in March.