ST. PAUL – House Democrats approved three anti-gun bills this week which state Rep. Bernie Perryman, R-St. Augusta, said will do more to make criminals out of law-abiding citizens than crack down on violent criminals.
The three bills include new laws on storage, requirements for reporting stolen firearms, and a new “trigger activator” definition that may render some commonly used guns illegal. These latest proposals follow last year’s changes Democrats enacted regarding universal background checks and red flag confiscation orders.
Perryman said the bill regarding reporting stolen firearms wrongly criminalizes a victim of a crime if they do not report a firearm theft within a government-prescribed period of time.
“Unfortunately, there are people in our state who would just as soon erase the Second Amendment from our Constitution,” Perryman said. “The anti-gun groups realize they can reach the same end game by chipping away our rights and writing new laws that trip up even the most responsible citizens. Making criminals out of law-abiding citizens simply will not reduce violent crime in any meaningful way. We are passing gun laws in a room without engaging the law-abiding gun owners in the conversation. In addition, we are not considering how to inform or thoroughly educate gun owners on the new laws when they pass them.”
Perryman indicated our state could do better to combat violent crime by stepping up efforts to enforce existing laws, with prosecutors who are willing to fully charge violent criminals and courts that stop turning dangerous people back out on the street with a slap on the wrist. Perryman said the bill regarding reporting stolen firearms wrongly criminalizes a victim of a crime if they do not report a firearm theft within a government-prescribed mandated period of time.
“The anti-gun groups talk about safety, but what they're really doing is putting up more obstacles that can trip up law-abiding citizens,” Perryman said. “On the very same day the Democrats introduced H.F. 4300 with more strict storage requirements, they also introduced H.F. 4277 that would repeal mandatory minimum sentences for violent crimes involving the possession or use of a firearm. How do you explain that one?
“Let’s focus on actually enforcing existing laws, issuing sentences that fit the crime and having our courts stop the revolving door that’s fueling Minnesota’s brutal crime. I co-authored H.F. 548, which is one of those bills and would stiffen penalties for straw purchases, where someone transfers a firearm to a person who is ineligible to possess one. Unfortunately, the majority buried a controversial provision in H. F. 2609 that crushed any hopes for bipartisanship.”
After passing the House along party lines, the three bills are now in the hands of the Senate, where Democrats have a one-seat majority. Perryman said that means a senator who currently faces first-degree burglary charges could cast deciding votes on bills undermining people’s ability to defend themselves during a home invasion.
The bills House Democrats approved this week include:
H.F. 4300 (new standards for the storage of firearms)
This bill expands the requirements related to the storage of firearms to say that a person must either store a firearm unloaded and equipped with a locking device or else store the firearm in a firearm storage unit or gun room. Failure to store firearms as required is a crime that may be punished by a petty misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor, or felony sentence. Enforcement of this law will be difficult. Under current law, it is a crime to store or leave a loaded firearm in a location where the person knows, or should know, that a child is likely to gain access to the firearm unless the person takes reasonable action to prevent a child from accessing the firearm.
H.F. 601 (reporting requirements for lost/stolen firearms)
This bill requires a person who owns, possesses, or controls a firearm to report a loss or theft of the firearm to law enforcement within 48 hours of the time the person knew, or reasonably should have known, of the loss or theft. It establishes that a first violation is a petty misdemeanor, a second violation is a misdemeanor, and additional violations are gross misdemeanors. It grants immunity from criminal firearm storage charges for those who comply with the reporting requirement. Requires chief law enforcement officers to inform the commissioner of public safety of all lost and stolen firearms.
H.F. 2609 (amending the crime of transferring a firearm to an ineligible person, requiring reports, and amending the definition of “trigger activator”)
This bill includes an increase in the penalty for the transfer of any firearm by someone who knows the person receiving the firearm is ineligible to possess a firearm, a practice sometimes referred to as a “straw purchase.” A trigger activator includes a device that allows a semiautomatic firearm to shoot more than one shot with a single pull and release of the trigger.
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