Rep. Slocum: 'Shoot First' Bill Will Increase Gun Violence

Editor's Note: The following is a press release from the Minnesota House DFL Media office.

The Minnesota House of Representatives passed HF 1467, the Omnibus Gun Bill Friday. The bill makes significant changes to law enforcement ability to seize weapons, gun permit regulations, and establishes an expansion “castle doctrine.”

State Rep. Linda Slocum (DFL–Richfield) said this bill will dramatically hurt public safety.

“The entire bill is full of unnecessary and, quite frankly, foolish public policy,” Slocum said. “This ‘Shoot First’ Bill won’t make Minnesotans safer and won’t help law enforcement officials do their jobs.”

HF 1467 greatly expands the “castle doctrine” to allow citizens to use deadly force in self-defense. Minnesota currently has a law that allows citizens to use deadly force if the potential victim believed they were facing imminent death or serious bodily harm.

“This provision would allow any individual to shoot at people entering their property with no consequence,” Slocum said. “These people could be police, utility workers, even children playing hide and go seek. This won’t make people safer; it only serves to increase gun violence. Minnesota already has a clear self-defense law, and not one person has been charged with a crime while acting in self defense. This provision, like much of the rest of the bill, is dangerous and reckless.”

Additionally, the bill would allow any permit from any other state to be valid in Minnesota, regardless of the qualifications to have a permit, background check or training requirements, directly weakening Minnesota’s permit laws.

Every major law enforcement association—including the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association and the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association—had testified against the bill, and the Hennepin County Attorney, along with the Chiefs of Police in Minneapolis and St. Paul have spoken out against the bill.

“Our highly-respected law enforcement officials have been against this bill throughout the entire process,” Slocum said. “I’m standing with our police and working to help them do their jobs more effectively to keep Minnesotans safe.”

“There are a lot of gun owners in Minnesota,” Slocum added. “Most of them want and welcome the same reasonable safeguards for their families as do those Minnesotans who don’t own guns. This bill makes a mockery of our gun laws and Minnesota’s public safety.”