Yesterday’s heated Minnesota Senate field hearing in Hibbing could foreshadow another standoff over gun bills in the upcoming legislative session. Senate Republican Majority Leader Paul Gazelka got vigorous applause in Willmar Monday night when he said about Governor Tim Walz’s main initiatives, “We are not doing ‘red flag’ laws and we’re not doing universal background checks.”
Meanwhile Tuesday afternoon the governor called Republicans’ push for “permitless carry” and “Stand Your Ground” legislation both “bad ideas.” “Allowing people to carry firearms anywhere from church to the gas station to the Capitol, and then allowing people to shoot first and ask questions later, is probably a recipe for really, really bad societal outcomes,” Walz said.