Friends and neighbors –
Quick update on Democrat gun control bills.
On Thursday, Democrats passed the first gun control bill of this session. Instead of trying a path of true bipartisan cooperation, they chose to play partisan politics and throw controversial provisions into a bill that could have been fairly benign.
The bill we debated on Thursday began as a Republican proposal to crack down on people who knowingly buy guns for people who are not legally allowed to have them. We introduced the bill last year, but it gained renewed interest after the tragedy in Burnsville where three first responders were murdered by someone who used guns from an illegal straw purchase.
However, the Democrats took our non-controversial bill and made it controversial in two ways:
- First, they expanded the straw purchase section to potentially include individuals who may not have known their recipient is not allowed to own guns
- Second, they expanded the definition of binary triggers, which will capture significantly more firearms.
The two provisions will effectively turn many law-abiding and responsible gun owners into criminals.
They passed this gun control measure by relying on the deciding vote of a Democrat Senator who has been charged with a felony crime of violence.
While we did propose an amendment to increase penalties for straw purchasers from five to ten years if the purchased firearm is used to assault or harm a public safety officer – which was adopted with bipartisan support – the overall bill remains a highly partisan effort by the Democrats.
If you have any questions, please reach out. Have a great day.