Steven Mace
01-29-2002, 08:53 PM
Published: Monday, January 28, 2002
THE ISSUE:: CONCEALED WEAPONS: A duel over concealed firearms is certain
BY LISA DONOVAN Pioneer Press
Before Minnesota lawmakers can finish saying "Welcome back" on Tuesday, they may find themselves in the throes of debate over the bitter and divisive issue of carrying concealed firearms in public.
In the opening days of the session, legislators are expected to pick up where they left off last year, resurrecting a proposal to guarantee concealed-carry permits to everyone who passes criminal background checks, has no severe mental problems and is properly trained in the use of the weapon. Existing law limits permits to those who prove to local law enforcement authorities that they have an occupational or public safety need to carry a loaded weapon in public places. The law has given police chiefs broad discretion over who gets to carry weapons.
Gun-control advocates, who oppose the change, suspect backers may push for a quick vote because the Senate has two open seats, up for special elections Tuesday, that might go to DFLers who oppose a less restrictive law.
State Sen. Jane Ranum, DFL-Minneapolis, said she and others who opposed last year's proposal suspect that the measure may be reintroduced as soon as Tuesday.
"We will have two Senate seats that are open. That's approximately 120,000 people that would go unrepresented ... on one of the more important issues of the day," said Ranum.
Although the Republican-led House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the measure last year, the Senate prevented it from making it to Gov. Jesse Ventura, voting 34-32 for an amendment that essentially killed it.
Momentum for the measure has been growing, gun-rights activists say, and Ventura says he's ready to sign the bill.
Gun-rights activists insist they don't need to slip in a vote before Thursday (the earliest the new senators could be sworn in) because they have plenty of votes. But the measure's House sponsor, Rep. Lynda Boudreau, R-Faribault, said she certainly recognizes the air of imminence surrounding her bill, and some of that might have to do with Sept. 11.
In a recent interview, Ventura said the bill probably has a better chance after the terrorist attacks. "I think it becomes easier (to pass the bill into law) because people now realize that it's civilians who are the target," the governor said.
Long before the suicide hijackers took over four jetliners, Elizabeth Cregan of St. Paul and David Gross of St. Louis Park made up their minds about the issue of carrying concealed firearms.
In 1989, Gross was working in the Minneapolis city attorney's office when a woman came in and reported she had been raped. Gross helped her file the report. The attacker was convicted, and after his release, he began harassing Gross.
"He was threatening me and some weird things were happening to my house, some damage," he said. There was a confrontation between the two at Gross' office. Gross pulled out a gun and pointed it at the floor. The man bolted.
"If I had not had a firearm and I looked vulnerable, I might have been deeply hurt,'' said Gross, who had a permit to carry a handgun.
Cregan, on the other hand, will go to her grave believing a gun couldn't have stopped an attack on her family in 1976.
She was traveling with her parents and two siblings through Chicago's South Side when a group approached the family's car. Robbery was the motive, but it ended with the shooting death of her mother.
"Believe me, I've gone over this 5 billion times," Cregan said. "A gun would not have done anything in this situation. It's over in seconds. People don't realize how quickly all of this happens."
Law enforcement organizations have lined up against the bill, saying more guns on the street means increased danger to police and residents.
"The police officers of this state don't need to have 50,000 more guns on the streets. The job's tough enough," said Bill Gillespie, executive director of the Minnesota Peace and Police Officers Association. He was citing estimates of how many new permits would be issued in the first year after such a law went in to effect.
There are no statistics on the number of residents statewide who hold concealed-carry permits. In 2001, St. Paul police received 180 applications for concealed-carry permits and granted 154, mostly to security guards. During the same 12-month period, the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department, which processes permits for seven cities and townships, received 56 applications and granted 43. Last year, Minneapolis received 192 applications and granted 148.
Gun-control advocates say Minnesotans are satisfied with the state's current concealed-carry laws. They cite a recent University of Minnesota poll of 1,000 state residents, in which 65 percent of the respondents said they think concealed-carry permits should be given only to those who are able to show a special need to carry a weapon.
The right-to-carry advocates, including the National Rifle Association, say their proposal makes it easier for law-abiding citizens to exercise their right to bear arms, something that could benefit an entire community.
"It will make the state safer, even for those who don't exercise right-to-carry," said Joseph Olson, a professor at Hamline University Law School and president of Minnesota Concealed Carry Reform, Now! "It changes risk-reward that criminals face: They stop engaging in conduct that might get them hurt, such as assaults, rapes, murders, etc."
John Lott, a conservative scholar and author of "More Guns, Less Crime," said his studies show crime dropping in states that have passed right-to-carry legislation similar to what is being proposed in Minnesota. Lott's detractors, however, question his analysis.
Both sides are predicting they will emerge victorious from this session, no matter when the bill is voted on.
If the legislation is approved, Minnesota would be the 34th state to have a right-to-carry law.
http://www.pioneerplanet.com/news/mtc_docs/236809.htm
Steve Mace
THE ISSUE:: CONCEALED WEAPONS: A duel over concealed firearms is certain
BY LISA DONOVAN Pioneer Press
Before Minnesota lawmakers can finish saying "Welcome back" on Tuesday, they may find themselves in the throes of debate over the bitter and divisive issue of carrying concealed firearms in public.
In the opening days of the session, legislators are expected to pick up where they left off last year, resurrecting a proposal to guarantee concealed-carry permits to everyone who passes criminal background checks, has no severe mental problems and is properly trained in the use of the weapon. Existing law limits permits to those who prove to local law enforcement authorities that they have an occupational or public safety need to carry a loaded weapon in public places. The law has given police chiefs broad discretion over who gets to carry weapons.
Gun-control advocates, who oppose the change, suspect backers may push for a quick vote because the Senate has two open seats, up for special elections Tuesday, that might go to DFLers who oppose a less restrictive law.
State Sen. Jane Ranum, DFL-Minneapolis, said she and others who opposed last year's proposal suspect that the measure may be reintroduced as soon as Tuesday.
"We will have two Senate seats that are open. That's approximately 120,000 people that would go unrepresented ... on one of the more important issues of the day," said Ranum.
Although the Republican-led House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the measure last year, the Senate prevented it from making it to Gov. Jesse Ventura, voting 34-32 for an amendment that essentially killed it.
Momentum for the measure has been growing, gun-rights activists say, and Ventura says he's ready to sign the bill.
Gun-rights activists insist they don't need to slip in a vote before Thursday (the earliest the new senators could be sworn in) because they have plenty of votes. But the measure's House sponsor, Rep. Lynda Boudreau, R-Faribault, said she certainly recognizes the air of imminence surrounding her bill, and some of that might have to do with Sept. 11.
In a recent interview, Ventura said the bill probably has a better chance after the terrorist attacks. "I think it becomes easier (to pass the bill into law) because people now realize that it's civilians who are the target," the governor said.
Long before the suicide hijackers took over four jetliners, Elizabeth Cregan of St. Paul and David Gross of St. Louis Park made up their minds about the issue of carrying concealed firearms.
In 1989, Gross was working in the Minneapolis city attorney's office when a woman came in and reported she had been raped. Gross helped her file the report. The attacker was convicted, and after his release, he began harassing Gross.
"He was threatening me and some weird things were happening to my house, some damage," he said. There was a confrontation between the two at Gross' office. Gross pulled out a gun and pointed it at the floor. The man bolted.
"If I had not had a firearm and I looked vulnerable, I might have been deeply hurt,'' said Gross, who had a permit to carry a handgun.
Cregan, on the other hand, will go to her grave believing a gun couldn't have stopped an attack on her family in 1976.
She was traveling with her parents and two siblings through Chicago's South Side when a group approached the family's car. Robbery was the motive, but it ended with the shooting death of her mother.
"Believe me, I've gone over this 5 billion times," Cregan said. "A gun would not have done anything in this situation. It's over in seconds. People don't realize how quickly all of this happens."
Law enforcement organizations have lined up against the bill, saying more guns on the street means increased danger to police and residents.
"The police officers of this state don't need to have 50,000 more guns on the streets. The job's tough enough," said Bill Gillespie, executive director of the Minnesota Peace and Police Officers Association. He was citing estimates of how many new permits would be issued in the first year after such a law went in to effect.
There are no statistics on the number of residents statewide who hold concealed-carry permits. In 2001, St. Paul police received 180 applications for concealed-carry permits and granted 154, mostly to security guards. During the same 12-month period, the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department, which processes permits for seven cities and townships, received 56 applications and granted 43. Last year, Minneapolis received 192 applications and granted 148.
Gun-control advocates say Minnesotans are satisfied with the state's current concealed-carry laws. They cite a recent University of Minnesota poll of 1,000 state residents, in which 65 percent of the respondents said they think concealed-carry permits should be given only to those who are able to show a special need to carry a weapon.
The right-to-carry advocates, including the National Rifle Association, say their proposal makes it easier for law-abiding citizens to exercise their right to bear arms, something that could benefit an entire community.
"It will make the state safer, even for those who don't exercise right-to-carry," said Joseph Olson, a professor at Hamline University Law School and president of Minnesota Concealed Carry Reform, Now! "It changes risk-reward that criminals face: They stop engaging in conduct that might get them hurt, such as assaults, rapes, murders, etc."
John Lott, a conservative scholar and author of "More Guns, Less Crime," said his studies show crime dropping in states that have passed right-to-carry legislation similar to what is being proposed in Minnesota. Lott's detractors, however, question his analysis.
Both sides are predicting they will emerge victorious from this session, no matter when the bill is voted on.
If the legislation is approved, Minnesota would be the 34th state to have a right-to-carry law.
http://www.pioneerplanet.com/news/mtc_docs/236809.htm
Steve Mace