As Minnesota Gun Rights members know, MGR has been fighting tooth and nail to stop Senator Ron Latz’s Senate File 1289, the gun-control bill of the year.
Minnesota Gun Rights staff and volunteers spent last week putting boots on the ground going house to house in Senator Latz’s district, exposing his treachery to his constituents to stop this bill cold before it impacts all of Minnesota.
If passed, Senate File 1289 would create a statewide database program that would be used by medical professionals to convince people to willingly give up their gun rights.
Worse, it would cripple the foundational due-process rights we are protected by now and introduce “ex parte hearings” in Minnesota.
“Ex parte hearings” are hearings where virtually ANYONE can petition a willing court to have the Constitutional 2nd Amendment rights of an individual revoked – without the accused even being present.
Think of a spurned girlfriend, date, fling or even your “ex” trying to gin up “evidence” for a divorce case.
No representation. No chance for rebuttal. No chance to present evidence otherwise.
Call it gun-control by declaration, rather than adjudication.
While working hard to crush this gun-control bill, we’ve at the same time been diligent to work to advance Constitutional Carry and Stand-Your-Ground legislation.
That’s why we’ve dropped tens of thousands of pieces of mail across the state of Minnesota in an effort to mobilize people on the fight to advance these bills in the Legislature.
As you know, Stand-Your-Ground law (SYG) is the simple idea that you should be able to defend yourself or your family wherever you have a lawful right to be – without worrying that an anti-gun prosecutor will throw you in jail!
Stand-Your-Ground law passed the legislature before in 2012 and was vetoed by Governor Dayton, who chose to do the bidding of the radical anti-gun Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association rather than listen to thousands of peaceful, law-abiding gun owners.
That’s why we were pleased last week when SYG legislation (HF1993) was introduced by Representative Steve Drazkowski.
Stand-Your-Ground law is a fundamental, substantive pro-gun reform that would extend civil protections to ALL Minnesotans who simply wish to be able to defend themselves and their loved ones from violent attack.
We’d like to think the party you empowered to be the majority party in the Minnesota House would be responsive to the needs of gun owners and work to pass solid, substantive pro-gun bills like Stand-Your-Ground law.
But in a stunning move, at nearly the same hour the bill was introduced, Speaker of the House Kurt Daudt told media sources that SYG legislation is “unlikely” to advance this year.
What’s worse, capitol insiders report to us that leadership has given a “kill-the-bill” order to Public Safety Committee Chairman Tony Cornish, who agreed that this year isn’t the year to pass these critical self-defense reforms.
But not only is Speaker Daudt killing SYG law, he has also worked behind the scenes this session to ensure that Constitutional Carry never gets introduced in the House – guaranteeing that law-abiding Minnesotans continue to have to beg government permission to exercise what is their right to do so.
Is Stand-Your-Ground legislation guaranteed to become law if Speaker Daudt passes it? No.
But is SYG guaranteed to not become law if Speaker Daudt never passes it out of his House chamber? You bet.
As a nonpartisan organization, we take that title seriously. Whereas other organizations in Minnesota fight to protect political parties and even the politicians themselves, we fight to protect you and your rights.
That’s why one week we can be going door-to-door in Senator Latz’s (DFL-St Louis Park) district to expose his gun-control bill, and the next week asking you to sign the petition to Speaker Daudt (R-Zimmerman) to pass Stand-Your-Ground.
Democrat, Independent or Republican – it doesn’t matter to us. Our loyalties lie with the 2nd Amendment, our members and 2nd Amendment supporters across the state.
For far too long, politicians have used the legislative process to avoid doing their duty by having to vote on controversial legislation. It’s easy for politicians to blame other politicians, hide behind “the process” or even arrogantly say “now just isn’t the right time.”
But at the end of the day, a legislator’s job isn’t to decide what they think is best for us.
Their job is simply to do their duty, uphold their campaign promises and pass meaningful, substantive pro-gun bills like Stand-Your-Ground.
If Stand-Your-Ground dies in one chamber after passing the other, so be it. It’s our job to hold accountable those who blocked its path.
And if you would, please forward this email to your own email list or friends and ask them to do the same.
For Freedom
,
Chris Dorr
Executive Director
P.S. Minnesota Gun Rights is going all-out to make sure Senator Latz’s new gun-control bill that guts due-process rights for Minnesotans is dead on arrival – while at the same time aggressively mobilizing to pass solid, substantive pro-gun reforms like Constitutional Carry and Stand-Your-Ground.
That’s why we are pleased to announce the introduction of Stand-Your-Ground Legislation, House File 1993, by Representative Steve Drazkowski.
In a stunning move, Speaker of the House Kurt Daudt immediately went to the media and declared this critical self-defense legislation dead for the year.
Worse, capitol insiders report to me that Leadership in the House have given a “kill-the-bill” order to Public Safety Committee Chairman Tony Cornish, who told media reporters he had no plans to move the bill.
That’s why I need you to sign the petition to pass Stand-Your-Ground right away!
Once you’ve signed the petition, please forward this email to all of your friends and ask them to do the same.