Democrats recently brought forward an incredibly controversial piece of gun legislation that people should know about. It creates a new “binary trigger ban.” Despite the fact that Minnesota already prohibits machine guns, similar automatic weapons, and conversion kits, the bill they brought forward expands the definition of “trigger activator” to include binary triggers, and it now states Minnesotans can no longer own guns with that feature.

This bill goes into effect on January 1, 2025, and gives legal gun owners no time to get rid of their now “illegal” guns. The state isn’t implementing a buyback program or a compensation program, so gun owners are just expected to get rid of their guns, and swallow any financial loss that comes with it. Democrats are also banking on everyone getting rid of their guns. You know who will not? Criminals. Criminals do not obey the law, and it is ridiculous to assume that they would abide by new gun laws. We can assume this new law will only affect law-abiding gun-owners across the state.

We’ve seen how gun laws and restrictions pan out: they don’t work. Chicago has high crime rates, but also has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country. Further proof that criminals do not obey the law, and new laws won’t change that fact. According to Chicago’s Police Department, there were 46 homicides in March, which is a 28% increase compared to March 2023. On the weekend of May 12 alone, 21 people were shot. Even Everytown Research, which is an anti-gun research group, notes that Illinois is ranked #3 for strength of gun laws, behind only California and New York. How far have these laws gotten them in terms of safety? Seems like not far.

It’s also important to note that that binary triggers are currently legal at the federal level. So this bill is undermining both the Constitution and federal law, in its efforts to criminalize law-abiding Minnesotans. In fact, many guns are manufactured with binary triggers as a standard trigger.

Instead of passing an unconstitutional law, why don’t we enforce laws on the books, and hold accountable the judges and prosecutors that refuse to do so? The real problem is that prosecutors and judges are not putting felons in jail, and are allowing criminals back out on the street far sooner than they should be allowed. We should be holding those people accountable, instead of criminalizing those who already abide by the law.

I’m also alarmed by the precedent this bill sets. This bill is a clear violation of the Second Amendment, and anyone exercising their Second Amendment Rights will now be a criminal. This is an attack on Second Amendment Rights and it’s only the beginning. This one of multiple gun bills that Democrats are pushing. This issue will not go away. I encourage everyone to make your voices heard on these issues while you can. We cannot have our Constitutional Rights undermined in this way.