Drizzt
Member
Saint Paul Pioneer Press (Minnesota)
May 1, 2003 Thursday
SECTION: LOCAL; Pg. 1B
LENGTH: 646 words
HEADLINE: LAURA BILLINGS: Yea, though I walk ... I shall not fear; I pack heat
BYLINE: LAURA BILLINGS; Pioneer Press Columnist
BODY:
It seems fitting that today's National Day of Prayer comes just as Minnesotans must cope with the newly passed concealed carry handgun law.
Lord, protect us from half-cocked legislation like this.
If you've been following the discussion, then you have no doubt heard that the only people who could possibly object to it are soft-headed Million Mom marchers, hand-wringing urbanites who couldn't tell a Colt from a Glock if their lives depended on it, and well-intentioned clergy members who should really just stay out of this kind of thing.
After all, say supporters, this law is not about putting an estimated 70,000 more handguns on the streets of Minnesota, and shoring up a declining market for handguns. It's not about repaying the National Rifle Association, which has been awfully generous to so many of our elected officials. It's not even about pandering to those Second Amendment ideologues who think the Constitution guarantees them the right to pack heat at Gopher games and city council meetings.
No, no, our new concealed carry law is all about being "consistent" with the way gun permits are issued in Minnesota. It's about creating a "uniform policy," in the words of Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who complained on his radio show recently that the old law was "highly subjective,'' forcing many decent citizens to leave their sheriff's office with an empty holster.
This, despite the fact that a Bureau of Criminal Apprehension survey found that 93 percent of permit applicants got one in 2002.
Given our leaders' new obsession with uniformity and consistency, one can't help wondering why they're not equally interested in making sure that Minnesotans also pay a uniform and consistent percentage of their income in state and local taxes.
But what is it they say about consistency? It's the hobgoblin of small-caliber minds?
Well, now that we've joined the 34 other states that have had this sort of legislation ramrodded through their legislatures by NRA lobbyists, the organizations and officials forced to deal with the law's implications can't help noticing it has some rather unnerving holes in it.
For instance, the law has no requirement for state residency, meaning we are now poised to become the drive-through gun retailer to the upper Midwest, since neighboring states Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa have much more sensible laws. Is this really the way we want to shore up our economy?
Mental health "issues" could disqualify an applicant from receiving a concealed carry permit, but after the implementation of much stricter medical privacy rules last month, will sheriffs really have all the information they need to assess which applicants can be a risk to themselves or others?
Guns won't be allowed at the state Capitol, thus providing some protection to the legislators who passed the law. But guns can't be barred from city halls, the State Fairgrounds, or convention centers.
And thanks to the new law, the University of Minnesota Gophers sports teams could be under fire in whole new ways. Unlike private pro teams that can bar gun holders at the door, or high schools that can ban guns from prep sports events, it seems the university can only prohibit students and staff from carrying guns on its property. It would have no authority over spectators, or even fans from rival schools. Imagine how much fun next year's Frozen Four riot could be.
It seems odd that legislators so concerned with "uniform policy" didn't offer the Senate the chance to amend some of these inconsistencies. Unfortunately, this sort of ideologically driven legislation is entirely consistent with the new sheriffs at the Capitol, who are determined to shoot holes through the sensible policies that once made our little home on the prairie an oasis of safety and sanity.
Lord, have mercy.
Laura Billings can be reached at [email protected]
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I'm guessing she didn't care much for the legislation......
May 1, 2003 Thursday
SECTION: LOCAL; Pg. 1B
LENGTH: 646 words
HEADLINE: LAURA BILLINGS: Yea, though I walk ... I shall not fear; I pack heat
BYLINE: LAURA BILLINGS; Pioneer Press Columnist
BODY:
It seems fitting that today's National Day of Prayer comes just as Minnesotans must cope with the newly passed concealed carry handgun law.
Lord, protect us from half-cocked legislation like this.
If you've been following the discussion, then you have no doubt heard that the only people who could possibly object to it are soft-headed Million Mom marchers, hand-wringing urbanites who couldn't tell a Colt from a Glock if their lives depended on it, and well-intentioned clergy members who should really just stay out of this kind of thing.
After all, say supporters, this law is not about putting an estimated 70,000 more handguns on the streets of Minnesota, and shoring up a declining market for handguns. It's not about repaying the National Rifle Association, which has been awfully generous to so many of our elected officials. It's not even about pandering to those Second Amendment ideologues who think the Constitution guarantees them the right to pack heat at Gopher games and city council meetings.
No, no, our new concealed carry law is all about being "consistent" with the way gun permits are issued in Minnesota. It's about creating a "uniform policy," in the words of Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who complained on his radio show recently that the old law was "highly subjective,'' forcing many decent citizens to leave their sheriff's office with an empty holster.
This, despite the fact that a Bureau of Criminal Apprehension survey found that 93 percent of permit applicants got one in 2002.
Given our leaders' new obsession with uniformity and consistency, one can't help wondering why they're not equally interested in making sure that Minnesotans also pay a uniform and consistent percentage of their income in state and local taxes.
But what is it they say about consistency? It's the hobgoblin of small-caliber minds?
Well, now that we've joined the 34 other states that have had this sort of legislation ramrodded through their legislatures by NRA lobbyists, the organizations and officials forced to deal with the law's implications can't help noticing it has some rather unnerving holes in it.
For instance, the law has no requirement for state residency, meaning we are now poised to become the drive-through gun retailer to the upper Midwest, since neighboring states Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa have much more sensible laws. Is this really the way we want to shore up our economy?
Mental health "issues" could disqualify an applicant from receiving a concealed carry permit, but after the implementation of much stricter medical privacy rules last month, will sheriffs really have all the information they need to assess which applicants can be a risk to themselves or others?
Guns won't be allowed at the state Capitol, thus providing some protection to the legislators who passed the law. But guns can't be barred from city halls, the State Fairgrounds, or convention centers.
And thanks to the new law, the University of Minnesota Gophers sports teams could be under fire in whole new ways. Unlike private pro teams that can bar gun holders at the door, or high schools that can ban guns from prep sports events, it seems the university can only prohibit students and staff from carrying guns on its property. It would have no authority over spectators, or even fans from rival schools. Imagine how much fun next year's Frozen Four riot could be.
It seems odd that legislators so concerned with "uniform policy" didn't offer the Senate the chance to amend some of these inconsistencies. Unfortunately, this sort of ideologically driven legislation is entirely consistent with the new sheriffs at the Capitol, who are determined to shoot holes through the sensible policies that once made our little home on the prairie an oasis of safety and sanity.
Lord, have mercy.
Laura Billings can be reached at [email protected]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm guessing she didn't care much for the legislation......