Minnesota gun owners are preparing to oppose gun control measures in the upcoming legislative session. Andrew Rothman, the President of the Gun Owner’s Civil Rights Alliance, says it is common for gun control legislation to be introduced after a mass shooting, and says his organization is preparing to oppose similar legislation in 2016, explaining, “We will see gun control bills introduced and debated, and we and the thousands of law-abiding gun owners in Minnesota are going to come to the capitol and tell our elected officials ‘no.’”
At least one Minnesota lawmaker is making gun control legislation a priority in 2016. Representative Kim Norton of Rochester (DFL – 25B), who is not seeking reelection, tells Alpha News that while her main focus is to “address suicides and accidental deaths”, that she is also looking in to making sure that all firearm sales and transfers will require a background check, as well as requiring locks on guns, and extending the waiting period to purchase firearms.
Norton says she is working with “a number of interested legislators” on this issue. Americans are fairly split on this issue, a December New York Times and CBS News Poll shows 51% of Americans believe laws covering the sale of guns should be made more strict. Whether these sentiments are spread similarly among Minnesotans remains to be seen. Norton says the Second Amendment needs to be protected.
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