Minnesota House passes expanded background check and red flag laws

This past Wednesday, in a night full of poignant testimony in the House Public Safety Committee, the Minnesota House took one further step in joining 20 other states (plus D.C.) in passing expanded background checks that would cover all gun sales. Rep. Dave Pinto, a prosecutor in his day job, took the lead on shepherding HF 8 through committee. HF 8 takes the long overdue step in closing major loopholes in Minnesota’s current background check system that allows dangerous individuals the opportunity to obtain guns by way of online or private sales. It’s not just common sense legislation that’s the morally right thing to pass, because it’s worked in other states where it’s been implemented in reducing firearm suicide and homicide rates, it’s also extremely popular among Minnesotans. How popular? 89 percent support in a 2018 poll, popular.

After the expanded background checks passed the Public Safety committee on Wednesday night, the committee then took up the other major prong in a long overdue update to MN gun laws. Namely, having Minnesota join 14 other states (plus D.C.) in having a mechanism to allow “Extreme Risk Protection Orders,” more commonly known as red flag laws. Rep. Ruth Richardson took the lead in shepherding HF 9 through committee Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon.

Red flag laws are a necessary component of state’s having adequate gun safety protections. They allow court petitions to temporarily remove weapons when individuals show signs of being imminently dangerous and are invaluable in prevention of mass shooting tragedies, suicides, and homicides. The same poll mentioned above shows 87 percent support among Minnesotans.

Representatives Pinto and Richardson further discuss the passage of these necessary gun law expansions on this afternoon’s episode of the Minnesota Values Podcast produced in-house (pun intended) by the Minnesota House DFL Caucus, Episode 3.