State Fair gun poll by Minnesota House of Reps.

[plblark]

Urge your friends to find the House booth and vote NO in this poll.

MINNESOTA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PUBLIC INFORMATION SERVICES
175 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Aug. 19, 2010

Fairgoers invited to weigh in on guns, higher education costs and Vikings' stadium
Legislators to meet and greet at the Minnesota State Fair

Fairgoers can let their opinion be known on a number of issues by participating in the annual Minnesota State Fair Poll at the House of Representatives' booth during the fair’s 12-day run, Aug. 26- Sept. 6.

This year's questions include firearms at gun shows, tax breaks for small businesses, costs at public colleges and universities, and public funding for a new stadium to house the Minnesota Vikings.

Although not scientific, ballot results give a heads up to what Minnesotans think about some high-profile issues. A list of this year’s poll questions is available on the House website, http://www.house.mn. Poll results should be available on the House website Sept. 7.

Located in the Education Building on Cosgrove Street just north of Dan Patch Avenue, the booth will be stocked with information to introduce fairgoers to state government and to help them better understand the legislative process.

The following is an E-mail I put together (with editorial help from PrinceWally and Andrew Rothman )to send to my mail list and get the word out:

Going to the State Fair? Watch out for snakes

The State Fair Poll Sponsored by the House of Representatives is rigged with some very vague and deceptive anti-gun language this year. Please tell your friends, family, and Representatives that question #1 is unacceptable. The only safe answer is "NO!"

Here are this year’s poll questions being offered to fair-goers at the House of Representatives booth in the Education Building on Cosgrove Street just north of Dan Patch Avenue. Unfortunately, this poll is being used to further an anti-gun agenda.

"When someone wants to purchase a firearm at a gun show, should a background check on the buyer be required prior to the sale?"

This sounds like common sense, but it's not. Pay very close attention to the wording. The question fails to differentiate between federally licensed firearms dealers and private party sales.

Representative Paymar has been authoring anti-gun legislation for years. His prior bills tip his hand and show us his ultimate goal: Complete gun control, no private party sales, and gun registration.

Much like the camel's nose under the tent, if we don't vigorously oppose This now we'll eventually end up with the whole package of Rep. Paymar's anti-gun agenda in incremental steps.

As recently as 2007-2008, Paymar Authored House File 3324, a very expensive and overreaching piece of legislation which would do nothing more than make firearms less accessible for law abiding citizens. The bill attempted to eliminate private property transfers between law abiding citizens and register all firearms transfers in a state-wide database.

HF 3324 defined a "firearms collectors' exhibition" as any event at which 50 or more firearms are offered or exhibited for transfer; and two or more persons are offering or exhibiting one or more firearms for transfer.

Ignoring The facts:

Minnesota already has several statutes covering private party sales, prohibiting sales to ineligible persons, and a functioning transferee permit process.

With this in mind, Paymar has stepped back and has been trying for a little less of the pie.

In 2009-2010 Bill, Paymar Authored House File 2960, where Gun shows were defined as: the entire premises open to the public for the event or function, that is sponsored and has the primary purpose of facilitating, in whole or in part, the purchase, sale, or offer for sale, of firearms at which 25 or more firearms are offered for transfer, and three or more persons are offering one or more firearms for transfer"

They've certainly stepped back and tried for smaller pieces but now they're attempting to build support early with a broadly worded and misleading poll at the state fair. Their intent is clear.

That battle on this issue starts today.

Please get the word out that this question CANNOT be taken at face value. The only safe answer is NO. Any other answer plays into the future plans of anti-gun legislators! Please tell your friends, family, and Representatives that question #1 is vague, deceptive, and unacceptable.

Thank you for your time and support.

[Paul]

I don't know Blark... I've heard that criminals can buy illegal guns from guns shows. We might want to consider voting 'yes'. If nothing else, for the safety of our children.

[cmj685]

I don't know Blark... I've heard that criminals can buy illegal guns from guns shows. We might want to consider voting 'yes'. If nothing else, for the safety of our children.

He's kidding, he's kidding!

[FJ540]

Why is this poll limited to fair goers? I haven't wasted money (as in - set foot) there in 20 years.

[nyffman]

They probably don't want a bunch of nuts from some subculture to go viral with this thing online and mess up their statistics.

[FJ540]

Right, they only want the sheeple who spend 9+ dollars to get in the door to provide insights on how the rest of us would like to spend our money... We already voted - by not being there!

[nyffman]

Why is this poll limited to fair goers? I haven't wasted money (as in - set foot) there in 20 years.

Right. At that time you were, what? 5 or 6? Face it, you didn't have a choice. Mom said, "we're going to the fair".

[FJ540]

At that time I was 15 and went with friends.

[Paul]

I thought you were 32 or 33?

[FJ540]

Been 35 for 2 weeks tomorrow.

[Paul]

Been 35 for 2 weeks tomorrow.

Wow, kids grow up so fast these days!

[plblark]

GOCRA has sent out an E-blast E-mail:

Going to the State Fair? Beware of Snakes!

Anti-gun Metrocrat legislators are continuing to push for universal gun registration, hidden in a bill that supposedly would close the mythical “gun show loophole.”

At the State Fair, visitors to the Minnesota House of Representatives booth will be encouraged to fill out a “poll,” whose first question is, “When someone wants to purchase a firearm at a gun show, should a background check on the buyer be required prior to the sale?“

The only safe answer to this question is, “NO!” A better answer would be “No, I don’t support Representative Paymar’s backdoor gun registration bill.” Spread the word and forward this email to as many freedom-loving Minnesotans as you can.

Here are this year’s poll questions being offered to fair-goers at the House of Representatives booth in the Education Building on Cosgrove Street just north of Dan Patch Avenue.

#1. ”When someone wants to purchase a firearm at a gun show, should a background check on the buyer be required prior to the sale?”

Pay very close attention to the wording. The question deceptively fails to differentiate between federally licensed firearms dealers and private party sales.

A Short History

Anti-gun lobbyists have been been trying to pass similar legislation for years. The primary author for this agenda is Representative Michael Paymar (DFL 64B). The evolution of these bills tips their hand and shows us the ultimate goal: draconian gun control, elimination of private party sales, and total gun registration. Much like the camel’s nose under the tent, if we don’t vigorously oppose this now we’ll eventually end up with the whole package in incremental steps. These laws have never been shown to reduce crime!

As recently as 2007-2008, despite the fact that Minnesota already had a functioning transferee permit process and statutes covering both private party sales and sales to ineligible persons, the anti-gun lobbyists pushed House File 3324. This was a very expensive and overreaching piece of legislation which would have done nothing more than make firearms less accessible for law abiding citizens. The bill attempted to eliminate private property transfers between law abiding citizens and register all firearms transfers in a state-wide database.

HF 3324 defined a “firearms collectors’ exhibition” as: any event at which 50 or more firearms are offered or exhibited for transfer; and two or more persons are offering or exhibiting one or more firearms for transfer.

In 2009-2010 the anti-gun lobby offered House File 2960, defining gun shows as: the entire premises open to the public for the event or function, that is sponsored and has the primary purpose of facilitating, in whole or in part, the purchase, sale, or offer for sale, of firearms at which 25 or more firearms are offered for transfer, and three or more persons are offering one or more firearms for transfer”.

Beware of Camels, Too

The anti-gun lobby is constantly seeking to get its nose under the tent and its control on our rights. Now they’re attempting to build support early with a deceptively worded, misleading poll at the State Fair. They keep stepping back and trying for a little less of the pie but the intent is clear: they want to take your guns away.

The anti-gun agenda has been defeated in every committee whether offered as bills or attached to other legislation as amendments. That didn’t happen by accident. It took constant attention and repeated action by GOCRA and gun owners like you.

The battle on this issue starts today

Please get the word out that this question cannot be taken at face value and the only safe answer is NO. ANY other answer plays into the future plans of anti-gun legislators! Please tell your friends, family, and Representatives that question #1 is vague, deceptive, and unacceptable.

And please forward this email to everybody you know, and ask them to sign up, today, at http://gocra-mn.org/join.html to receive these eblasts. And then after visiting the Minnesota House of Representative booth and voting a resounding no, enjoy yourself at the State Fair, armed with the knowledge that the Metrocrats are, yet again, trying to pull a fast one, and that we caught them red-handed, again.

Thank you for your time and support.

Your GOCRA Team

Click here to make a donation to GOCRA. Without your support, it would not be possible to continue the fight for your rights.

[Snowgun]

Make sure that if you go to the fair to vote on this, that you are open carrying in a weak side thigh rig....and that it's backwards.

[Snowgun]

If you are forwarding this email to people who don't understand why you should vote no, you can also explain that there are already plenty of laws in place to prevent the wrong people from purchasing guns. You can also point them towards this great article in the city pages:

Testing the gun show loophole

Since it's the city pages, anyone with a liberal lean will take it as gospel.

[ComradeBurg]

Well I ended up going to the fair this weekend and did the question and answer form.

For those of you going there (I'm sorry) the booth is located at the center of the back wall in the Education Building (I think that's what it's called, it's the second or third build to the right if you come in at the Snelling Avenue entrance).