Legislative sessions begin across the country in January, and right now, anti-gun lawmakers are beginning to assemble their gun control packages.
In Minnesota, according to KSTP News, House Democrats are preparing to reintroduce so-called “universal background check” legislation requiring background checks on every firearm transfer, with exceptions for immediate family members. They are also going to bring back a proposed “Red Flag” law.
KSTP quoted State Rep. Dave Pinto (DFL St. Paul), who explained, “Immediate family members, siblings, spouses, parents, grandparents, the background check would not apply. But, if you have a second cousin, you may not know about that person’s criminal record.”
However, the Minnesota Gun Caucus is not impressed. MGC’s Rob Doar told a reporter the proposed legislation reaches too far.
“It says all transfers. Now, if I were to loan you a firearm to go hunting for the weekend, that’s a transfer,” he reportedly observed. “If you need a gun for self-defense in your home and maybe you don’t have the funds and I have a spare one, that’s a transfer and we’ve have to go to a federally licensed dealer in order to process that transfer.”
Regarding the proposed “Red Flag” law, Doar wants to make sure there is due process before anyone’s firearms are seized.
This is a common complaint from critics of such laws, also known as Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO). As noted on the website for Fairfax County, Va., “On July 1, 2020, the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Emergency Substantial Risk Order (ESRO) law, commonly referred to as a “red flag law,” went into effect, making Virginia the 19th state to enact such legislation. ESRO provides necessary procedural safeguards to ensure that no firearm is removed without due process while ensuring that tragedies, like the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., are not repeated.
Meanwhile, in Illinois, WBEZ is reporting that House Democrats “plan to introduce a massive gun control bill that would outlaw the sale of assault weapons and prevent most residents under 21 from legally buying a gun.”
The news agency quoted State Rep. Bob Morgan (D-Deerfield) stating his colleagues hope to pass the legislation in an upcoming “lame duck session” early next month. Public hearings will be held this month in Springfield.
Morgan also revealed a separate bill to allow legal action against firearms manufacturers or retailers who “market firearm products through deceptive practices” is also in the works, according to WBEZ.
In Missouri, State Sen. Angela Walton Mosley (D-Florissant) is quoted by the St. Louis American noting, “We have members who have expressed interest in filing bills ranging from regulation on ammunition sales, to banning teenagers from purchasing semi-automatic weapons.”
She expects several bills to be pre-filed this month.
