cuchulainn
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from the Minneapolis Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/3887848.html
http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/3887848.html
Gun bill sponsor admits to robberies as a teen
Mark Brunswick, Star Tribune
Published May 17, 2003
The legislator who successfully pushed for changes in Minnesota's conceal-and-carry handgun laws acknowledged Friday that a crime she committed as a teenager could keep her from getting a permit.
Rep. Lynda Boudreau, R-Faribault, said that as a teenager she and another girl were convicted of robbing two Faribault grocery stores and that she was placed on probation.
Calling it a "foolish incident" and pointing out that no weapons or violence were involved, Boudreau said her juvenile record should not preclude her from obtaining a gun permit under the new law, scheduled to take effect later this month.
She said, though, that a sheriff might retain the right to deny her a permit because of the information on her juvenile conviction.
Boudreau, a fifth-term House member, has been at the forefront of the new permit law, which she has called the "Minnesota Citizens' Personal Protection Act."
The law requires sheriffs to issue handgun permits to most mentally competent, law-abiding adults 21 or older who complete training.
She said she has not begun the process to obtain a permit but probably will do so because of an interest in the training required.
She spoke briefly on the House floor Friday, urging members and constituents to remember what she called an established record of public service, "not a foolish mistake I made when I was 16."
At an impromptu news conference and in a written statement, Boudreau, 51, acknowledged that she and a friend stole money from two Faribault neighborhood stores when she was 16. Boudreau said she and her friend intimidated one clerk into handing over money and took money from the till in the second incident. The two fled to Minneapolis but returned several days later and were apprehended in Faribault, about 35 miles south of the Twin Cities.
Boudreau, a lifelong Faribault resident, said she was placed on probation and returned the stolen money, described as less than $100, from her savings. The other girl was ordered into custody. Boudreau said she was spared jail time because of the support of her family.
Boudreau said that she has regretted the incidents her entire life and that many in Faribault were aware of her past. She said her children were vaguely aware of problems she had as a juvenile but did not know the details of the crime. It has never materialized as a campaign issue, nor has it been openly used by anti-permit groups during debate about the issue. Opponents of the new permit law expressed surprise when told of the incident.
Asked whether she thought that under the new law someone might have used a gun to stop her, Boudreau's eyes teared briefly, and she said no force was used. "It probably would not have been an issue," she said.
Opponents of the expanded permit measure said they would not comment on any bearing Boudreau's juvenile record may have on the issue.
"This is an unfortunate incident from Representative Boudreau's past," said Mary Heller, president of the Million Mom March/Twin Cities. "We have no comment in the context of the current debate."
Mark Brunswick is at
[email protected].
© Copyright 2003 Star Tribune
