(ST. PAUL, MN) – Safety for all Minnesotans is at the top of the agenda today, as Senate Republicans roll out a violence prevention agenda focused on real solutions to the recent increase in violent crime in our state. The series of violence prevention bills will maximize the effectiveness of existing laws and encourage local governments to add more police on streets, trains, and busses. Additionally, they will close loopholes to give prosecutors and judges better tools to take dangerous criminals off the street. 

“The goal of our violence prevention package is to protect Minnesotans and prosecute criminals,” said Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (R-East Gull Lake). “Caring about families begins with keeping them safe.”

“These bills are our opportunity to keep citizens safe, prosecute criminals, and tighten up current law,” said Senator Michelle Benson (R-Ham Lake). “Repeat offenders, known gang members, and sex offenders should not be able to keep or easily obtain firearms. I hope to see bipartisan support for this legislation, which will keep violent and dangerous criminals controlled and off our streets.”

Many of the bills will be heard in committee this week, including the Judiciary and Public Safety, Transportation and Tax Committees. Several violence prevention bills received initial hearings and public feedback during the interim in St. Paul and Hibbing. 

“The proposals in this package should have bipartisan support because they focus on one thing – making our communities safer,” said Judiciary and Public Safety Chairman Sen. Warren Limmer (R-Maple Grove). “We are not bringing forward extreme ideas today because those bills lack bipartisan support and ultimately will not help us meet the goal of keeping families safe.”

The first two proposals received an initial public hearing in January 2020 and will make sure guns are kept out of the wrong hands. 

Senate File 2101 requires the courts to hold a compliance hearing within ten business days of issuing a protective order to make sure all firearms have been removed. Individuals subject to orders for protection are required to surrender firearms within three days of the order. However, there is currently no process in place to ensure compliance, and it has been generally low across Minnesota.

“This is about getting at the issue of compliance. These are people who have already been ordered by a court to surrender their firearms. We want to make sure they’re actually doing it,” said Senator Eric Pratt (R-Prior Lake). 

Senate File 2596 increases the penalty for intentionally transferring a firearm to a known criminal from a gross misdemeanor to a felony. The bill deals with “straw purchases” and is a response to local prosecutors who testified they do not prosecute these crimes because of the lower penalty. 

“Protecting Minnesotans starts with punishing criminals. I want to send a message that illegally transferring a firearm is a serious offense. If we want to be serious about preventing violence, we need to enforce the laws that are already on the books,” said Senate author Paul Anderson (R-Plymouth).

SF3865 brings Minnesota into compliance with federal law when issuing a permit to carry license so someone who is not authorized to carry a firearm under federal law is not getting a permit to carry.

“This is a simple change to the law to make sure our permit-to-carry application complies with federal law. By asking these simple questions right on the application, we are making sure all firearms transfers are done in the safest manner possible,” said Senator Andrew Lang (R-Olivia). “This is really a common-sense change to the law that ensures that someone who is not authorized to carry a firearm under federal law is not getting a permit to carry.”

SF 3573 amends our state’s law to clarify Minnesota’s drive-by shooting crime as any shooting taking place from a moving vehicle. The legislation is a response to a 2013 Minnesota Supreme Court decision that narrowly defined the definition to only classify drive-by as in front of a building. 

“This commonsense legislation removes loopholes for criminals in our system and ensures that we can protect Minnesotans and prosecute offenders,” said Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen (R- Alexandria). “When criminals drive-by recklessly discharging a firearm, they shouldn’t be able to get off on a lesser charge because of a technicality such as them not shooting close enough to a “building” or a “car.” This legislation ensures that people who mean harm onto others face the repercussions.”   

 
SF 1458 prohibits mayors, city councils, county boars, and chief law enforcement officers from disarming peace officers who are in good standing and not currently under investigation or subject to disciplinary action. 

“The overwhelming majority of our state’s peace officers are hard-working, trustworthy folks who make it their life’s work to help keep the people of Minnesota safe. Yet some authorities want to disarm our officers and invite further violence into our communities,” said Senator Ingebrigtsen. “With homicide rates rising across the state, this common-sense legislation ensures that Minnesota doesn’t treat its peace officers as suspects just because they are off duty.” 

SF 3574 amends Minnesota law to make it a felony for a member of a criminal gang to possess a pistol in public. Currently, law defines it as a lesser offense, allowing known gang members the same freedom as everyone else. 

“This legislation protects Minnesotans, not our state’s criminals,” said Senator Hall. “We need to take gang violence seriously and ensure that our communities are taken out of the crosshairs. 

SF 3912 requires the Metropolitan Council to submit an annual report to the legislature regarding transit safety. Additionally, it requires cameras on light-rail trains and encourages the council to increase police presence in our public transit system.

“This reform is about protecting Minnesotans who rely on public transit every day to commute to work, attend concerts and sporting events, and travel to the airport,” said Senator Dan Hall (R- Burnsville). “People shouldn’t have to fear being victimized during their daily routines. We need to ensure that they are safe whenever and wherever they ride.” 

SF 3866 closes a loophole by adding civilly committed sex offenders to the reasons why a person would be ineligible to possess a firearm. Current law does not prohibit those who have been civilly committed sex offenders from owning a weapon. 

“This is about common sense,” said Senator Limmer. “Every person who has been civilly committed under current law as a sex offender is not allowed to access firearms.”

SF 3144 funds specialized units called Violent Crime Enforcement Teams, or VCETs, that are tasked with taking down dangerous and violent narcotics traffickers, gang members, and related violent offenders. This bill increases funds for those teams. 

“This is a massive issue, especially for Greater Minnesota. 75% of crime in Greater Minnesota is related to Meth,” said Senator Julie Rosen (R- Vernon Center) “I’ve been working on this issue since 2005, so much so that they used to affectionately call me, ‘Senator Meth. Republicans are going to dedicate more money toward strengthening VCETs so we can keep more drugs off the streets and crush violent gang operations.”

SF 3973 requires Minneapolis and St. Paul to use 10% of their LGA dollars to add more police officers until they reach the national average. The nationwide average police-to-citizen ratio is about 3 officers for every 1,000 residents. In Minneapolis and St. Paul, they are at about 2 officers for every 1,000 residents.

“If Minneapolis and St. Paul can’t keep their citizens safe, we will do it for them,” said Senator Roger Chamberlain (R-Lino Lakes). “The whole state has a vested interest in this, because we go to Vikings games and restaurants and concerts there. People want more police on the street to prevent crime. They want safe neighborhoods. They want their kids to be safe when they walk to the park or ride their bikes. We’re going to make sure Minneapolis and St. Paul are meeting their responsibility to their citizens.”