MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — A rally is scheduled to take place at the Minnesota State Capitol on Tuesday afternoon in support of stricter gun laws. This comes in response to the recent fatal shooting of two police officers and a firefighter paramedic in Burnsville, which spurred the introduction of proposed legislation two weeks ago. The rally aims to garner support for two bills that advocates hope will become law.
One of the bills proposes a requirement for gun owners to store their guns and ammunition separately. However, opponents argue that this requirement is illogical and prevents gun owners from having a loaded firearm at home for self-defense.
“The safe storage bill that’s been introduced is saying that you can’t even have a loaded firearm at home for self-defense,” explained Rob Doar, Senior Vice President of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus. “It has to be completely separate from the ammunition, and rendered useless.”
The second bill being advocated for would mandate gun owners to report a lost or stolen gun within 48 hours of discovering its absence. Proponents argue that responsible gun owners already adhere to this practice.
Advocates emphasize the urgency of stricter gun laws by highlighting the toll gun violence has taken in Minnesota. In 2022 alone, approximately 600 Minnesotans lost their lives to gun violence. Pastor Rolf Olson, who tragically lost his daughter to gun violence, argues against accepting these deaths and associated trauma as an acceptable consequence of gun ownership.
Governor Tim Walz is expected to attend the rally in support of the proposed gun laws. The demonstration is scheduled to take place on the steps of the Minnesota State Capitol at 3 p.m.
For more information on Protect Minnesota’s 2024 legislative session policy priorities, click here. To learn more about Minnesota’s Red Flag Law, which recently went into effect, click here. Previous coverage on gun laws and proposed legislation can be found here.
*Note: This article has been rewritten to adhere to AP News Style guidelines and to prevent any signs of plagiarism.*