Minnesota House set to take up gun control measures Monday
MINNEAPOLIS -- In a historic vote, the Minnesota House will be taking up two gun control measures Monday.
The gun proposals, which include background checks for private sales and a red flag law, are in the public safety bill that has already passed the Minnesota Senate.
For years, new gun control measures have been brought up at the capitol and for years the measures have gone nowhere. This year is different. The Minnesota Senate last week, with a vote along party lines, passed a public safety bill that includes requiring background checks for private gun sales and for gun shows, and would create a red flag law, allowing a judge to take away a weapon from a person who could harm themselves or others.
RELATED: Minnesota Senate passes public safety package with universal background checks, "red flag" law
A vote in the Minnesota House had been expected this weekend. That vote has now been moved to Monday. Speaker Melissa Hortman was a guest on WCCO Sunday Morning at 10:30 a.m.
"We absolutely have the votes in the Minnesota House of Representatives. I was so pleased to see that vote in the Minnesota Senate, that was really the historic moment because we have had the Minnesota House since 2019. We have passed these measures a few times. They are common sense gun control measures," Hortman said.
But Republicans are accusing the DFL of sneaking the gun control measures into the $850 million public safety bill. GOP House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth was also a guest at 10:30 a.m.
"If we pass additional laws that are going to be more difficult for law abiding owners to function with, the criminals aren't going to pay attention to additional laws. And that is where we need to put our focus on gun safety, is the criminal effect," she said.
That public safety bill also includes a controversial measure that allows inmates to lessen their sentences by 17% by participating in education, therapy and training. House Democrats in swing districts are being pressured to vote against the bill. That same pressure was exerted on Senate Democrats who, despite their razor thin one-vote majority, were once again able to stay united.
You can watch WCCO Sunday Morning with Esme Murphy and Joseph Dames every Sunday at 6 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
