Above, I enjoyed meeting Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court Lorie Gildea at the Capitol this week.
Dear Neighbor,
Greetings as Week 2 of the 2019 legislative session comes to a close.
This week was spent getting acquainted with committees and authoring bills. As a staunch Second Amendment advocate, I look forward to signing bills that protect our gun rights. That could be an ongoing topic of discussion this session since House Democrats already are getting grabby when it comes to firearms.
One of the first bills they introduced this session would turn the purchase permits system on its ear by extending it beyond pistols and semi-automatic weapons to include all firearms. The permit to purchase would only be valid for only 30 days. Under their proposal, the permit would expire upon a single purchase.
Another anti-gun bill the Democrats have authored would seize guns from people perceived to be a threat to themselves or others. It’s impossible to even imagine all the troubling scenarios a law like that would cause.
What makes this especially interesting is that Democrats continue pushing the narrative that people want gun control. They almost have a way of shaming people who stand up for their constitutional rights. The protesters already have been rallying at the Capitol this year and you can expect that to occur throughout the rest of this session.
One reason I say the anti-gun narrative is interesting is that a KSTP online poll conducted just last week shows 87 percent of respondents do not “support stronger gun control laws for Minnesota.” Almost 18,000 votes were tallied and it is rather telling that the results from a survey conducted by a major TV station were this decisive.
Bottom line? I will continue to oppose new laws of any kind that compromise our Second Amendment rights. And I will support and even author legislation myself designed to strengthen and support the rights of gun owners.
Stay tuned for more on those bills as they move into the legislative process.
On another note, this week I submitted a legislative column to area newspapers to take a look at the issue of reducing health care costs. As noted in the column, District 15B residents have made clear to me their concerns over unaffordable health care costs time and again in recent months. They deserve results in the 2019 session.
Disappointingly, Democrats in Minnesota may actually increase health care costs by restoring a 2-percent tax on most health care services which was set to expire. Estimates show restoring the tax which would increase the cost of health care by more than $600 million for Minnesotans next year alone.
Yes, at a time the state has a $1.5 billion surplus, Democrats are looking to increase costs on most patient services in Minnesota.
I completely disagree with their approach because you simply don’t make health care more affordable by raising health care taxes. There is only one way out of this mess they created and that is through less government involvement, not more.
You are encouraged to check our local papers for the full text of the column, or click here.
Have a good weekend and stay warm,
Shane