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| Minn.: Conceal-carry becomes law |
| 2003-04-29 |
| Edited for brevity. It took the longest debate in memory on the floor of the Minnesota Senate, but a bill to make permits to carry handguns in public available to more people gained final legislative approval Monday and was signed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty. It is to go into effect in 30 days. Eventually, according to an official legislative estimate, it could increase the number of people licensed to tote guns on Minnesota streets from fewer than 12,000 now to about 90,000. I.e. 78,000 more reasons for criminals to give Minnesota a wide berth. For 7 1/2 hours Monday, Senate DFLers railed against the measure and the parliamentary legerdemain that brought it directly from the House with no opportunity for Senate amendments. Six DFL senators even donned bulletproof vests as they denounced the bill as "insanity," "lunacy" and "sheer madness." "Why, the very idea that the people of Minnesota are entitled to Constitutional rights is repulsive!" In the end, a small group of outstate DFL senators who favor gun rights bucked their leadership's opposition and tipped the balance in favor of the bill. The vote for final passage was 37 to 30. What comes next is a sweeping reversal of Minnesota handgun policy that has been in effect since 1975. Under that system, police chiefs and sheriffs have had broad discretion to grant or deny permits for occupational needs or personal protection. In some areas, especially the Twin Cities, critics say, authorities have abused that discretion by denying permits to nearly all applicants. If they wanted to carry beforehand, they should have done the California Circumvention: change their names to "Sean Penn" and declare they're pacifists. |
| Posted by:Dar |
| #8 Tell me,Anon1 What is the murder(by other means) rate in your country? What is the rate of home invasions? Have you checked out the murder stats in Britan,they are not good. Since Canada passed it's represive gun laws home invasion and other violent crime have increased exponentially. Seems to me that any criminal with a lick of common sense would be very carefull about breaking into someones home knowing there is a high probability he will get shot.The excepttion would be someone who is either a drug addict,or insane in wich case witout a weapon you put your family at terrible risk. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-04-30 08:56:10 |
| #7 And what nation would that be? |
| Posted by: Watcher 2003-04-30 04:12:12 |
| #6 I agree with most comments/opinion on Rantburg, and I love America. But Gun ownership is not one of those issues. I live in a country where gun ownership is tightly regulated and hardly anyone has even touched a gun let alone owned one. Guess what? We have hardly any gun deaths. A nation of 18 million people and a single shooting is a big deal and makes it on the 6pm nightly news. I went travelling up the west coast of the US in November and one lady actually said she feels SORRY for me that I live in a country without guns. I couldn't believe my ears. I am RELIEVED to live in a country without guns. IF they legalised gun ownership for the masses here, I'd emigrate to Britain or New Zealand. The statistics show that with widely available guns, you are just asking for an increase in gun crime and also accidents with guns: there will always be an idiot like Sean Penn who leaves one in the glovebox of the car or in a drawer where a 6-year-old can get it. It's too late to disarm or heavily regulate the USA: i feel very sorry for you, you are stuck with guns. Reason being: there are too many out there already, in the hands of gangs and criminals - if you had an amnesty you would never get even half the weapons handed in. Also it is deeply ingrained in your culture that it is a right, not a privelige to own a gun. You can't change your society, but let me tell you that from an outsider looking in, that is one road I am GLAD my country was spared from walking down. |
| Posted by: Anon1 2003-04-30 01:08:29 |
| #5 Robber: Now how will I know if it's safe to rob someone or not? Gov't: Tough beans, pal. |
| Posted by: KP 2003-04-29 12:49:04 |
| #4 "where'd they get the vests?" Ollie North is now chairman and co-founder of Guardian Technologies International, Inc., a Virginia-based manufacturer of body armor for law enforcement personnel. |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-04-29 11:50:00 |
| #3 Man, I hope the MN. DFL stays strong.(Not to strong though) MN. polotics would bore me to death if it was't for the DFL. Unless we can get a string of Jesse "I aint got time to lead!" Venturas, the DFL is my only source of entertainment. |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2003-04-29 11:47:00 |
| #2 Like to know how many of the 30 "against" votes have, either themselves or staff members, concealed carry permits for self-defense? Of course they NEED it, you little people on the other hand can't be trusted with that much responsibility |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-04-29 11:32:23 |
| #1 Six DFL senators even donned bulletproof vests as they denounced the bill as "insanity," "lunacy" and "sheer madness". Sounds like they know a lot about that stuff. And where'd they get the vests? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-04-29 10:42:21 |