From the NRA-ILA - HF1944 / SF1915

[2in2out]

Just got this e-mail:

Minnesota: Legislature Considering Ominous Bill Designed to Suppress Political Speech, Anti-Gun Legislation to Receive Committee Consideration

Your immediate action needed to stop suppression of political speech in Minnesota
House File 1944 and Senate File 1915, dangerous, politically motivated measures aimed at suppressing political speech by membership organizations such as the NRA, are moving quickly through the Minnesota legislature. These fatally flawed bills pose a grave risk to freedom of speech in Minnesota and impose excessive regulatory burdens on political and commercial interests. Additionally, this legislation would inhibit the NRA’s ability to provide candidate information at critical times before an election. Your action is needed immediately – please contact your state Senator and Representative TODAY and demand their opposition to any legislation that inhibits your First Amendment freedom needed to protect your Second Amendment rights. Contact information for state Senators can be found here. Contact information for state Representatives can be found here. Click here to find out who represents you. http://www.gis.leg.mn/OpenLayers/districts/

HF 1944 and SF 1915 would require organizations like the NRA, who engage in political speech, to immediately disclose the names of many of their donors, including those who pay membership dues. These bills are intended to suppress political speech by organizations such as the NRA and others who communicate with their members. These bills are overly broad, vague and would chill election-related speech.

HF 1944 is eligible for House consideration AT ANY TIME.

SF 1915 is scheduled to be considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee this Friday, March 21, at 12:00 noon. Please contact members of this committee and urge them to OPPOSE this misguided legislation. Committee members’ contact information can be found here. http://www.senate.mn/committees/committee_bio.php?ls=&cmte_id=1016

*********

The state legislature is also considering several measures, House File 3067 and Senate File 2690, to impose additional regulations, serious penalties and red tape on permit holders who choose to carry their firearms while visiting the State Capitol Complex. At this time, a law-abiding permit holder can carry in the State Capitol Complex as long as the permit holder has notified the Commissioner of Public Safety of their intent to do so in advance.

The additional superfluous proposed regulations would do nothing to improve the notification requirement or process, but instead would create traps for law-abiding permit holders. This proposed legislation would go so far as to mandate an arbitrary “renewal” period for those permit holders who previously sought permission to carry on Capitol grounds, requiring that “within 30 days of the renewal date of a person’s permit to carry, the person shall renotify the commissioner of the person’s intent to carry,” or the permit holder could face a felony.

Anti-gun legislators have been attempting to ban the carrying of firearms in the state Capitol, and since they have continuously failed at instituting a ban, are setting traps for law-abiding permit holders who choose to exercise their Second Amendment rights while petitioning their elected officials. The carrying of firearms for self-defense by law-abiding permit holders is not a threat to security at the state Capitol. It is an affront to law-abiding Minnesotans to insinuate that permit holders are dangerous criminals who should be feared while on Capitol grounds. Minnesota gun owners should not have to choose between their own security and participation in the legislative process.

HF 3067 is scheduled to be heard TOMORROW, March 20, by the House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee at 10:00 a.m. Please contact members of this committee and urge them to OPPOSE this ill-conceived legislation. Contact information for committee members can be found here. http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/comm/committeemembers.asp?comm=88022

SF 2690 is scheduled to be heard TOMORROW, March 20, by the Senate Judiciary Committee at 12:00 p.m. Please contact members of this committee and urge them to OPPOSE this dangerous legislation. Contact information for committee members can be found here. http://www.senate.mn/committees/committee_bio.php?ls=&cmte_id=1016

[Steelslinger]

According to the GOCRA email I got tonight, Senator Tomassoni withdrew SF2690 from consideration

[photogpat]

According to the GOCRA email I got tonight, Senator Tomassoni withdrew SF2690 from consideration

Correct and without a companion Senate bill - the House bill withers and dies.

[2in2out]

Nice! Thanks for the update. For some reason, I'm not getting the GOCRA e-mails any more. I'll have to check into that.

[photogpat]

Nice! Thanks for the update. For some reason, I'm not getting the GOCRA e-mails any more. I'll have to check into that.

Go out to the website and re-register for the eblasts. Or check your spam folder.

[OldmanFCSA]

GOCRA website keeps asking for my address in e-mails - for SOME reason it won't accept my WISCONSIN address.

Wonder why? DUH !!!

[ericinmn1970]

HF 1944 and SF 1915 would require organizations like the NRA, who engage in political speech, to immediately disclose the names of many of their donors, including those who pay membership dues. These bills are intended to suppress political speech by organizations such as the NRA and others who communicate with their members. These bills are overly broad, vague and would chill election-related speech.

HF 1944 is eligible for House consideration AT ANY TIME.

SF 1915 is scheduled to be considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee this Friday, March 21, at 12:00 noon. Please contact members of this committee and urge them to OPPOSE this misguided legislation. Committee members’ contact information can be found here. http://www.senate.mn/committees/committee_bio.php?ls=&cmte_id=1016

What impact, if any, would HF1944 and SF1915 have on how GOCRA and/or MNGOPAC conducts their business? I've read the bill and it sure looks to my untrained eye, like the legislature is trying to quiet down organizations that keep the citizenry apprised of what the politicians are up to.

For what it's worth, here's the response I received from my "representative" when I questioned it:

Eric,

The bill expressly exempts communications by associations to their members. It apears. from reading the bill, that it is an attempt to close a loophole where associations publish or transmit widely messages about "Tell Representative so-and-so" to protect such-and-such" close to an election wehre what they really mean is "vote for the other guy" but don't say it. I can assure you that loop hole drives lots of folks crazy.

Thanks,


Representative Jim Davnie
District 63A
454 State Office Building
100 Rev. Martin Luther King Blvd
St. Paul, MN 55155
(651) 296-0173

[hornswaggle]

So in other words they want to suppress the first amendment so it's easier to kill the second amendment

[bstrawse]

As far as the MN Gun Owners PAC is concerned - this will have minimal impact on us - it will mostly mean additional paperwork on our part in terms of disclosures and notifications. Mark and I do not see this as an issue for us.

This is going to be a problem for the NRA though, and we should oppose the bill on those grounds. The NRA is setup quite differently in terms of legal structure than how MNGOPAC and GOCRA are setup - and that structure will cause the NRA challenges.

I would recommend asking your representative and/or senator to oppose these bills.

Hope this helps -
B

[jshuberg]

Do you guys know whats up with HF3172 and SF2785?

The following shows it on the and Means Committee schedule tomorrow at 10:00AM, with the following note:

HF3172 (Carlson) Supplemental appropriations bill. Note: The bill as introduced will not be heard, but will instead be used as the vehicle for the Omnibus Supplemental Appropriations bill.

I do not see the companion bill on the Senate Finance Committee schedule yet.

12.17 Sec. 8. Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 609.66, subdivision 1g, is amended to read:
12.18 Subd. 1g. Felony; possession in courthouse or certain state buildings. (a)
12.19 A person who commits either of the following acts is guilty of a felony and may be
12.20 sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years or to payment of a fine of not
12.21 more than $10,000, or both:
12.22 (1) possesses a dangerous weapon, ammunition, or explosives within any courthouse
12.23 complex; or
12.24 (2) possesses a dangerous weapon, ammunition, or explosives in any state building
12.25 within the Capitol Area described in chapter 15B, other than the National Guard Armory.
12.26 (b) Unless a person is otherwise prohibited or restricted by other law to possess a
12.27 dangerous weapon, this subdivision does not apply to:
12.28 (1) licensed peace officers or military personnel who are performing official duties;
12.29 (2) persons who carry pistols according to the terms of a permit issued under section
12.30 624.714 and who so notify the sheriff or the commissioner of public safety, as appropriate
12.31 prior to entering a courthouse complex;
12.32 (3) persons who possess dangerous weapons for the purpose of display as
12.33 demonstrative evidence during testimony at a trial or hearing or exhibition in compliance
13.1 with advance notice and safety guidelines set by the sheriff or the commissioner of public
13.2 safety; or
13.3 (4) persons who possess dangerous weapons in a courthouse complex with the
13.4 express consent of the county sheriff or who possess dangerous weapons in a state building
13.5 with the express consent of the commissioner of public safety; or
13.6 5) persons who enter a state building in the Capitol Area carrying pistols according
13.7 to the terms of a permit issued under section 624.714 and the requirements in paragraph (c).
13.8 (c) Prior to entering a state building in the Capitol Area, a person under paragraph
13.9 b), clause (5), shall provide written notice by United States mail or electronic mail to the
13.10 commissioner of public safety of the person's intent to carry a pistol in the building. The
13.11 notice must include the person's name, date of birth, expiration date of the permit to
13.12 carry, and mailing address for notifications sent by United States mail or e-mail address
13.13 for notifications sent by electronic mail. The commissioner shall confirm receipt of the
13.14 notification by United States mail or e-mail. Within 30 days of the renewal date of a
13.15 person's permit to carry, the person shall renotify the commissioner of the person's intent
13.16 to carry a pistol under paragraph (b), clause (5). A person carrying a pistol in a state
13.17 building in the Capitol Area shall display the permit to carry card and a government-issued
13.18 identification document upon request by a licensed peace officer.

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.p ... =0&b=house
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.p ... 0&b=senate
http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/comm/s ... comm=88029

[bstrawse]

I'll let Rob Doar handle this one - but I wouldn't worry about that bill.
b

[Andrew Rothman]

We have been watching this one. Our bipartisan team of allies in the House have it covered.

This bill is actually just a placeholder for the actual bill, which will not contain the infringements.

We will be there to make sure that everything goes as planned.

[jshuberg]

Cool, I was wondering what the deal was since it was scheduled, but not being heard. Thanks for the good work!

[2in2out]

Thanks, Andrew!

Sounds like Common Sense will prevail.

[Andrew Rothman]

Sounds like Common Sense will prevail.

I know. Weird, right?