Gun Control Legislation versus Balancing the Budget
Some of our regularly scheduled committee meetings were interrupted last week as the House Public Safety Committee debated a series of highly controversial bills that address gun control in our state. Hundreds of concerned citizens from across the state descended on the Capitol to voice their concerns about the bills which they believe violate the Second Amendment.
I have personally received over 100 calls and emails about this controversial issue. Last year, DFL lawmakers (and many in the media) roundly criticized Republicans when the legislature discussed defending marriage and implementing voter identification measures. Those efforts were described as “divisive social issues” that did not deserve to be discussed in the legislature.
Now the new Democratic majority is concentrating its efforts and has spent (and will be spending) many hours of committee time on two similar divisive social issues – gay marriage and gun control – all before we have received line-by-line budget details from Governor Dayton’s administration or a budget proposal from House DFLers. Apparently, those issues are not considered “divisive” by DFLers or the media. What a difference a year makes.