Minnesota Democrat Lawmakers to Use Legislative Majority for Gun Control

Democrats emerged from the midterm elections with control of the Minnesota governorship and legislature and plan to parlay their gains into more gun control on state residents.

A red flag law and universal background checks are top of the list for Minnesota’s Democrat lawmakers, the Star Tribune reported, pointing to mass shootings in Colorado, Illinois, New York, Virginia, and Texas as fodder for the push,

The Tribune did not mention that Colorado, Illinois, New York, and Virginia all have universal background checks and red flag laws, none of which prevented the shootings from taking place.

State Democrats pushed universal background checks and a red flag law in 2020, but Republicans controlled the Minnesota Senate and were able to block the measures. Now that Democrats have full control they are focusing on securing both controls.

Pro-gun control state Rep. Dave Pinto (DFL, Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party) said, “The U.S. is an outlier when it comes to this issue. We lose many more of our residents to guns at a much higher rate than other countries. I feel renewed urgency, and I am hearing from community members and colleagues who feel the same way.”

CBS News noted that House Speaker Melissa Hortman (DFL) likewise suggested Democrats will act “quickly” to pass the gun controls once the legislature convenes in 2023.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. AWR Hawkins holds a PhD in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.